More than 57,000 Malaysians renounced their citizenship to take up Singapore nationality between 2020 and 2025, according to figures released by Malaysia's National Registration Department.
The data was reported by Malaysian daily Harian Metro on Wednesday, January 7, citing the department's director-general Badrul Hisham Alias. He said a total of 61,116 Malaysians applied to relinquish their citizenship in order to become citizens of another country during the five-year period ending December 17, 2025.
Of these applicants, 93.78% or about 57,315 people were bound for Singapore. Smaller proportions moved to Australia (2.15%), Brunei (0.97%), while 3.1% took up citizenship in other countries.
Applicants aged between 31 and 40 formed the largest group, accounting for 19,287 cases or 31.6%. This was followed by those aged 21 to 30, with 18,827 applicants or 30.8%. Another 14,126 people, or 23.1%, were aged between 41 and 50, while 8,876 applicants, or 14.5%, were above 50 years old.
Women made up more than half of those who gave up their Malaysian citizenship, with 35,356 female applicants recorded. On average, around 10,000 Malaysians apply to renounce their citizenship each year, Badrul Hisham said.
"The factors that cause them to abandon their citizenship are known to be either economic- or family-based," he told Harian Metro. He noted that some Malaysians working in Singapore were able to qualify for citizenship due to employment and income considerations, while others who married foreigners chose to give up their Malaysian nationality to migrate to their spouse's country.
He added that some applicants may also be motivated by the desire to enjoy the privileges of a foreign nationality, such as voting rights, as Malaysia's Constitution does not recognise dual citizenship.
Earlier figures cited by The Star, based on data from Malaysia's Home Ministry, showed that 97,318 Malaysians renounced their citizenship to become Singapore citizens between 2015 and June 2025.
In Singapore, data from the Population in Brief report released in September 2025 showed that nearly two in three new citizens in 2024, or 64.3%, came from South-east Asia. Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in March 2025 that Singapore records about 30,000 citizen births each year and grants citizenship to roughly 22,000 new citizens annually.
All new Singapore citizens undergo the Singapore Citizenship Journey programme, which introduces them to what it means to be Singaporean. Community-based Integration and Naturalisation Champions from the People's Association also run initiatives to help welcome and integrate new citizens into their neighbourhoods.
