Indians top list: 9.25 lakh acquired citizenship of OECD countries in five years

India is the largest source country for new citizens in OECD nations, with a significant rise in naturalisations over the past five years.

Edited by Sandeep Gupta, Editor · SafarSamachar Desk✔ Approved by Sandeep Gupta12 Nov 2026, 11:27 pm IST

Illustration

Illustration: SafarSamachar Pix Desk, created with AI assistance. Not a photograph of the event.

Key facts at a glance

1This is a 41% increase from 2015–2019
2India is the largest source country for new citizens in OECD countries

Between 2020 and 2024, 925,000 Indians acquired citizenship in OECD countries, a jump of 41% over the preceding five years.

India remains the largest source country for new citizens in the OECD, with Indian nationals accounting for about 10% of all newly naturalised people.

In 2024 alone, 230,000 Indians became citizens of OECD member states. Canada attracted the most, with 261,000 Indians obtaining Canadian citizenship between 2020 and 2024—a rise of 150% compared to the prior five-year span. Yet, the net flow of Indian-origin migrants to OECD nations fell by 19% in 2024.

Across all OECD member countries, 87 lakh new citizens were added from 2020 to 2024.

What this means for Indian travellers

Indian citizens now represent the largest share of new nationals in OECD nations, driven largely by a surge in Canadian naturalisations.

Sources

TTimes of India Travel

This brief was written with AI assistance from the reports listed above and read and approved for publication by Sandeep Gupta on 12 Nov 2026; the figures come from the reports listed above. Read our editorial policy.Rules and schedules change - confirm with the airline or embassy before you travel. Spotted an error? Tell us.