Nearly 9 Lakh Indians renounced citizenship in last five years: MEA in Rajya Sabha

December 11, 2025

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that nearly 9 lakh Indians have renounced their citizenship in the last five years. This trend has been consistent with the adoption of foreign citizenship by Indians living abroad.

Number of renunciations by year

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said that the government has year-wise records of persons renouncing citizenship. The number of people who renounced citizenship in the last five years was as follows:

2020: 85,256

2021: 163,370

2022: 225,620

2023: 216,219

2024: 206,378

A total of 1,189,194 Indians renounced their citizenship between 2011 and 2019.

Complaints from Indians abroad

The Minister of State for External Affairs also informed that a total of 16,127 complaints were received from Indians living abroad in the financial year 2024-25. These complaints were mainly registered through government online complaint portals, including:

Madad Portal: 11,195 complaints

CPGRAMS Portal: 4,932 complaints

List of top countries in complaints

The top countries in terms of complaints are as follows:

Saudi Arabia – 3,049

UAE – 1,587

Malaysia – 662

US – 620

Oman – 613

Kuwait – 549

Canada – 345

Australia – 318

UK – 299

Qatar – 289

MEA’s grievance redressal system

Singh said that India’s grievance redressal system is robust and multi-channel based. This includes emergency helplines, walk-ins, social media and 24×7 multilingual support. Most cases are resolved through prompt communication, mediation with employers and collaboration with foreign authorities.

Delays in some cases include incomplete information, uncooperative employers, and limited role of Indian missions.

Legal aid and expatriate welfare

Panel lawyers are appointed to provide legal aid to Indians abroad, and support is provided through the Indian Community Welfare Fund.

The safety of workers abroad is a priority, and NRI assistance centres and consular camps provide guidance and outreach in key areas.