SINGAPORE – More than 57,000 Malaysians renounced their citizenship to become citizens of Singapore from 2020 to 2025, said a Malaysian official.
The figures were released in a Jan 7 report by Malaysian daily Harian Metro, citing National Registration Department director-general Badrul Hisham Alias.
A total of 61,116 Malaysians applied to move and become citizens of another country in the five-year period ended Dec 17, 2025, he said.
Of these, 93.78 per cent, or about 57,315 applicants, were bound for Singapore, with 2.15 per cent headed to Australia, 0.97 per cent to Brunei and 3.1 per cent to other countries.
The largest group who applied to renounce their citizenship were those aged 31 to 40, at 19,287 applicants or 31.6 per cent.
There were 18,827 applicants aged 21 to 30, or 30.8 per cent; followed by those aged 41 to 50, at 14,126 applicants or 23.1 per cent; and those over 50, with 8,876 applicants or 14.5 per cent.
More than half of those renouncing their Malaysian citizenship were women, with 35,356 such applicants.
On average, 10,000 people apply to renounce their Malaysian citizenship a year.
