Americans are moving abroad in record numbers

More people left the US than moved in last year for the first time since 1935, according to a new WSJ analysis.

And while much of the trend can be attributed to stricter US immigration enforcement, behind those headlines is a quieter shift: a growing number of US citizens are also choosing to take up residence outside of America.

By the numbers: The US hasn’t collected comprehensive data on emigrating citizens since the early 1950s. But new Census figures, residence permits, foreign home purchases, and student enrollments across 50+ foreign countries all suggest Americans are heading overseas in record numbers.

A closer look:

• The US experienced a net international migration loss of ~150,000 people in 2025, representing the first negative balance in nearly a century.
• An estimated 5.5 million Americans currently live abroad, a figure that’s roughly doubled since the late 1990s.
• About 1 in 5 Americans today say they would like to move abroad if they could, roughly double the ratio who said the same back in 2008.

Where are they going? Large American communities have taken root in Europe, with the surge mostly concentrated in Portugal, Ireland, Germany, and the UK. Parts of Mexico, Canada, and Asia have also seen a recent uptick in American residents.

Driving the trend

Reasons for leaving the US vary on a case-by-case basis, but there are some consistent themes, according to the WSJ:

• Cost-of-living is generally cheaper. Many countries feature lower housing prices, public healthcare systems, and the ability to stretch income further.
• Quality of life can be higher. Most European cities offer walkability, reliable transit, higher-rated schools (below college), and a slower pace of life.
• Remote work means relatively fat salaries. Many Americans abroad are able to work remotely and still keep their salaries from the US, one of the highest-wage countries in the world.

Big picture: The US gov’t currently has a months-long backlog of people seeking to renounce their citizenship—either to secure a foreign passport or avoid taxes on overseas income—after such requests jumped 48% in 2024, and likely outpaced that total in 2025.