9.25 lakh Indians acquired citizenship in rich nations in 5 years, up 41%: OECD

Indians continue to top the list of people acquiring citizenship in advanced economies, with around 9.25 lakh Indian citizens acquiring the nationality of an OECD member country between 2020 and 2024, according to the ‘International Migration Outlook – 2026’ report released on Thursday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).The figure marks a sharp increase of 41% from just over 6.5 lakh Indians who acquired citizenship of OECD member countries during 2015–2019. India remains the largest country of former nationality among those acquiring citizenship in OECD member countries, ahead of Syria and Mexico, whose nationals accounted for around 5.9 lakh citizenships in these countries each during the five-year period 2020–2024. Interestingly, while China was the sixth largest source country whose nationals acquired OECD member country citizenship, the numbers fell by nearly 12% to 3.4 lakh in 2020-2024 as compared to the previous five-year period.OECD comprises 38 member countries – notably US, UK, European nations, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea.According to additional data shared with TOI, during the five-year period 2020-2024, OECD member countries embraced nearly 87 lakh new citizens – Indians constitute around 10% of its new citizens. In the previous five-year period, nearly 65 lakh individuals acquired citizenship of an OECD member country – once again the composition of Indians was 10%.Acquisitions of citizenship in OECD countries by former nationality

OECD also shared year-on-year India-specific data with TOI, showing that 2.30 lakh Indians acquired citizenship of OECD member countries in 2024, mainly in Canada (87,320), the US (48,820) and Australia (28,969). In 2023, the overall India-figure was marginally lower at nearly 2.25 lakh, with the same three countries accounting for most of the citizenship acquisitions.The report attributes the increase in Indian citizenship in OECD member countries to the growth of Indian communities in several member countries, particularly Canada. A total of 2.61 lakh Indians became Canadian citizens during 2020–2024, an increase of 150% compared with the preceding five-year period. The numbers were also high in the US, the UK and Australia.The latest figures underline the growing permanence of Indian migration to advanced economies. While immigration flows measure the number of people moving to another country, citizenship acquisitions offer an indication of how many immigrants have progressed to acquiring the nationality of their destination country.Leading OECD-countries where Indians acquiring citizenship

The OECD's latest report also records a rise in new citizenships from various nationalities across its member countries. Around 3 million (30 lakh) people acquired the nationality of an OECD country in 2025. The US accounted for almost 9 lakh new citizens – a rise of 9% over 2024, followed by Germany and Spain with 3 lakh new citizens each registering a rise of 9% and 6% over the previous year. Canada ranked only fourth in 2025, due to a 22% drop, and registered nearly 3 lakh new citizens. However, India's strong showing is particularly evident in Canada, which has been a major destination for Indian migrants over the past decade, with established communities contributing to the pool of people eligible to apply for citizenship.Indians also continued to move to OECD member countries for work and study, although the pace of migration slowed. India remained the largest origin country of new migrants to OECD member countries in 2024. However, the number of Indian-origin migrants moving to OECD member countries fell by 19% in 2024, from 6.07 lakh in 2023 to 4.94 lakh in 2024.“Migration remains high, and immigrants now account for 16% of employment across the OECD,” Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary-General said. “With ageing populations and slower productivity growth, countries cannot afford to waste the skills migrants bring. That means helping migrants move into jobs where they can contribute most, and giving immigrant entrepreneurs better access to finance, networks and business support,” he added.Immigrants accounted for 12% of the OECD member countries population in 2025, up from 9% in 2015. In just over half of OECD countries, immigrants contributed at least 50% of employment growth between 2014 and 2024.Number of Indians acquiring citizenship of an OECD member country

One in five STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates across OECD member countries is foreign-born, and immigrants are over-represented among researchers and founders of innovative firms. Yet immigrants are also more likely to work in lower-productivity firms and sectors, with their skills often underutilised, states OECD. The report finds that immigrant’s contribution to productivity depends on how effectively countries make use of their skills and support investment and innovation – many countries have expanded programmes to attract highly skilled workers.International student inflows to OECD member countries fell from 19 lakh in 2024 to 16 lakh in 2025, with the decline concentrated in traditional English-speaking destinations. In contrast, European countries continued to attract growing numbers of international students, especially Austria, Germany and Italy. China and India remained the largest source countries.The gap between Indian and Chinese students studying in OECD member countries narrowed, with 8.3 lakh Indian students and 8.50 lakh Chinese students studying in these countries.

With restrictive immigration policies being introduced in several OECD member countries such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia, immigration experts believe that the number of temporary workers and students could show a decline over the next few years. However, it is likely that Indians will continue to top the charts in citizenship acquisition and their foray overseas for work and study.Permanent migration to OECD member countries declined by 1.6% in 2025, falling for the second consecutive year, but remained historically high at nearly 60 lakh new permanent immigrants. Permanent migration covers people moving for family reunification, work or humanitarian reasons with a long term right to stay. With restrictive policies in major destination countries, this has shown a decline.