The lure of better job opportunities, higher salaries, and quality of life in Singapore has continued to draw Malaysians across the Causeway, so much so that thousands are giving up their passports every year.
New parliamentary data shows just how strong this trend has become, with 2025 already on track to hit record-high figures.
2025 numbers already on track to be among the highest
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that 6,060 people had relinquished their Malaysian citizenship for Singapore as of June 30.
If the trend continues, this year’s total could match or even exceed 2024’s figure of 16,930, the highest recorded in recent years.
Sharp rise in recent years
This surge marks a significant jump compared to previous years. Official data shows:
- 2024:Â 16,930 cases
- 2023:Â 11,500 cases
- 2022:Â 5,623 cases
- 2021:Â 7,956 cases
Before this upward trend, the highest figure in the past decade was in 2019, with 13,362 cases. The number dipped to 5,591 in 2020, largely due to border closures and movement restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A decade-long overview
Looking further back, the numbers have fluctuated but stayed within a narrower range before the recent spike:
- 2015:Â 7,394 cases
- 2016:Â 8,654 cases
- 2017:Â 7,583 cases
- 2018:Â 7,665 cases
These figures suggest that while migration to Singapore has been a steady trend for years, the scale seen in the last two years is unprecedented.
Revealed in Parliament
Saifuddin shared the statistics in a written reply to Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN–Kota Baru), who had asked for the number of Malaysians applying for Singapore citizenship from 2015 to 2025.
