KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — A total of 97,318 Malaysians have reportedly renounced their citizenship to become citizens of Singapore between 2015 and June 2025, the Home Ministry told Parliament today.
According to The Star, the ministry said in a written reply to Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN–Kota Bharu) that there were 7,394 renunciations in 2015, 8,654 in 2016, and 7,583 in 2017.
The number rose to 7,665 in 2018 before jumping to 13,362 in 2019.
It dropped to 5,591 in 2020, but climbed to 7,956 in 2021 and 5,623 in 2022.
The figure surged again to 11,500 in 2023 and reached its highest level in 2024 with 16,930.
This year, as of June 30, 6,060 Malaysians have made the change.
Malaysia has long battled a significant brain drain, with an estimated 1.86 million Malaysians relocating abroad over the past five decades prompting the establishment of TalentCorp to encourage skilled returnees.
