In 2022, the number of individuals renouncing their Indian citizenship reached 2,25,620, marking the highest figure in the past 12 years.

“The number of Indian nationals exploring the global workplace has been significant in the last two decades,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar had said in a written reply Lok Sabha last month.

Considering the potential political implications of these figures, the government, while addressing the matter in Parliament, has also been presenting the UPA-era exodus statistics “for reference purposes”.

However, do we know about the destinations chosen by those who have decided to forego their Indian citizenship?

The Ministry of External Affairs provided the data recently in response to a query by Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak, which sheds light on this matter.

The United States, renowned for its abundant employment opportunities, naturally emerged as the primary preference, followed by Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

Among these, a notable 3.29 lakh Indians obtained US nationality, while neighbouring Canada granted citizenship to 1.62 lakh individuals. Australia secured the third position, welcoming 1.32 lakh new citizens, followed by the United Kingdom and Italy, which extended citizenship to 83,468 and 23,817 Indians, respectively.

Collectively, these five nations emerged as the subsequent homeland for more than 85% of those who relinquished their Indian citizenship over the mentioned five and a half years’ period.

Further down the list, New Zealand (23,088), Germany (13,363), Singapore (13,211), Netherlands (8,642), and Sweden (8,531) constituted significant destinations, in that order, ranking from 6th to 10th. In total, more than 95% of Indians opted for citizenship in these top 10 countries.

Geographically, out of these 10 countries, five are situated in Europe, two each in North America and Oceania, and one in Asia.

Among the Muslim-majority Gulf nations, the UAE emerged as the top choice, with 1,865 Indians acquiring its citizenship. Following the UAE were Qatar (384), Kuwait (295), Bahrain (275), and Oman (174). Notably, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which recently underwent significant changes in its citizenship regulations, granted passports to 131 Indians during the stated time period (Jan 18’- June 23’).

A total of 2,442 Indians opted for Chinese citizenship, a country that stands as India’s significant and powerful neighbour, with whom the relationship has been characterized by tension.

Adding an intriguing aspect, 69 Indians also embraced Pakistani citizenship in the said period. This included a peak of 41 in 2021, while there were no instances in 2018 and 2019, but the number escalated to 7 in 2020. In the ongoing year, up until June, 8 more Indians acquired their citizenship.

The granting of most of these citizenships is attributed to marriages, family ties, professions, or extended residence in Pakistan, as cited by news reports quoting Pakistani officials. Additionally, there remain thousands of pending applications awaiting approval from the Pakistan’s interior ministry.

The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, bound by the ‘Roti-Beti ka Rishta’ (a relationship of sustenance and kinship), offered citizenship to 128 Indians, presumably resulting from marriages. Sri Lanka (106) and Bangladesh (16) were the other two immediate neighbouring countries where Indians acquired nationalities.

Indians obtaining citizenship were also evident in several other countries where Hindus constitute a notable portion of the populace. In Mauritius, 299 Indians embraced their citizenship, while 247 opted for Fijian passports, and 109 became citizens of Suriname.

A few other countries of interest could be Switzerland, Israel, Russia, Japan, Iran, and Iraq where 1,834, 774, 366, 293, 37, and 3 Indians, respectively, acquired citizenship.

The small island nation of Papua New Guinea in the Pacific, which gained recent attention when its Prime Minister respectfully touched the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a welcoming gesture, extended citizenship to three Indians.

This raises the question: Why are some Indians relinquishing their homeland, which has risen to the ranks of a prominent economic and military power? India, the world’s most populous country, has made significant strides over the last few decades, elevating itself from the 12th largest economy in 2005 to now being the fifth largest.

In a recent research report, one of the prominent global investment banking companies, Goldman Sachs, projected that India could potentially evolve into the world’s second-largest economy, following China, by 2075. The government in its reply said: “Many of them have chosen to take up foreign citizenship for reasons of personal convenience.”

Experts, however, contend that the reasons behind this trend are diverse and intricate. They span from economic factors such as career prospects, improved quality of life, enhanced educational opportunities, better healthcare, and even cleaner air, to migration related to marriage. Nevertheless, these explanations do not entirely explain the phenomenon of migration to countries that lag significantly behind India both in economic and social standings.

Furthermore, unlike certain other nations, India does not permit dual citizenship. As a result, any Indian nationals who acquire foreign citizenship are obligated to formally renounce their Indian citizenship.

Enhanced mobility can also be viewed as a significant contributing factor. The ease, comfort, and reduced time required for intercontinental travel have improved substantially. For instance, even if an individual acquires US citizenship and lives there, the time taken to travel from New York to New Delhi would likely be considerably less than that needed for a person in New Delhi to journey by train to Bengaluru.

However, to assert that these migrations tied to citizenship are a recent development would be inaccurate. India’s history has borne witness to waves of migration, some involuntary as indentured labourers known as the Girmitiyas. In the early 19th century, individuals from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrated to former British colonies such as Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago. This trend continued through to more contemporary migrations propelled by the forces of globalisation.

According to the 2022 World Migration Report, the United Nations’ latest global estimate indicates that around 281 million international migrants existed across the globe in 2020. The report highlights that India boasts the world’s largest emigrant population, with nearly 18 million individuals living abroad, positioning it as the primary origin country on a global scale. Following India, Mexico (11.0 million), the Russian Federation (10.8 million), and China (10 million) hold the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively.

A significant portion of those relinquishing Indian passports consists of highly educated individuals, underscoring the persisting concern of brain drain. Today, Indian-origin CEOs are at the helm of leading American companies, while some other diasporas are making notable strides in the political sphere as well.

Furthermore, they constitute some of the wealthiest and most influential minorities in various Western nations, actively safeguarding India’s interests within their respective capitals. The Economist recently remarked that this diaspora “is bigger and more influential than any in history” and “a powerful resource for India’s government.”

Moreover, they exert a favourable impact on their home country’s economies, not solely through remittances but also by imparting knowledge and pushing investments—a set of contributions crucial for propelling India onto the global stage of power.

Acknowledging the valuable contribution of the Indian community abroad, the Government has initiated a transformative shift in its interaction with the diaspora.

“The Government is cognizant of this development and has undertaken a range of initiatives centering around ‘Make in India’ that would harness their talents at home. At the same time, to take full advantage of the contemporary knowledge economy, we have also promoted skills and start-ups,” minister Jaishankar had told Parliament.

A thriving, prosperous, and influential diaspora presents a distinct advantage for India, and our strategy revolves around harnessing diaspora networks and leveraging their reputation for the benefit of the nation, government had said.