Statistics on Renunciation of Singapore Citizenship

1 Mr Leon Perera asked the Prime Minister (a) from 2005 to 2015, how many Singaporeans renounced their citizenship each year; (b) what is the breakdown of the top five reasons for citizens wanting to emigrate each year as revealed through the mandatory questionnaire; (c) what is the breakdown of the top three reasons for the renunciation of Singapore Citizenship each year, as revealed through the mandatory questionnaire; (d) whether the Government has done a thorough study to understand the reasons for renunciation of citizenship; and (e) what is being done to prevent such numbers from increasing.

Mr Teo Chee Hean (for the Prime Minister): An average of 1,200 Singaporeans renounced their Singapore Citizenship (SC) each year from 2005 to 2015. The annual SC renunciation rate remains low at under 0.1%.

Singaporeans renouncing their citizenship will be asked to indicate their reasons in a non-mandatory questionnaire. The most frequent reasons given include (a) family-related reasons, such as marriage to a foreigner or to join their family members overseas, (b) preference for a different lifestyle or environment, or (c) career or business-related reasons.

Our focus is to ensure that Singapore continues to be the best home for all Singaporeans. We will continue to develop an attractive living environment and a thriving economy which creates good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans. We also want to strengthen Singaporeans' bonds with one another and build a strong sense of identity and belonging to the nation.

We actively engage our Singaporeans who are studying or working overseas. Through efforts such as the Overseas Singaporeans Unit's programmes and initiatives, Singapore Day in selected cities overseas being one example, we seek to ensure that our overseas Singaporeans maintain a strong identity and remain connected and committed to Singapore's future even while they are overseas.