Published: 10 January 2022
Question:
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many Singaporeans renounced their citizenship over the past three years; (b) what proportion are naturalised Singapore citizens; and (c) whether the annual renunciation rate has increased amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer:
Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:
1. Over the past three years, an average of 1,480 citizens per year renounced their Singapore Citizenship (SC). Of these, 21% were naturalised SCs. The annual renunciation rate of citizens has remained low at under 0.1% of the citizen population. We had not seen an increase in renunciation rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.