The United States is experiencing net negative migration, with an estimated loss of 150,000 people in 2025, a trend expected to continue. This marks the first time since the Great Depression that more people are leaving the U.S. than entering, driven by both increased deportations and a record number of American citizens choosing to live abroad. The Trump administration has highlighted increased deportations, but many American citizens are relocating to countries they perceive as more affordable and safer.
While the U.S. government does not comprehensively track citizens leaving, data from over 50 countries on residence permits, foreign home purchases, and student enrollments indicates a significant exodus. Millions of Americans are now studying, telecommuting, and retiring overseas, with some even renouncing their citizenship due to tax implications or to obtain foreign passports. Requests to renounce U.S. citizenship jumped 48% in 2024 and likely increased further in 2025.
Motivations for leaving are diverse, ranging from economic incentives and lifestyle preferences to disillusionment with America's trajectory, including concerns about violent crime, the high cost of living, and turbulent politics. Many expats cited Trump's re-election as a factor, though others voted for him. Remote work has facilitated this trend, with professionals like architects, financial advisers, and engineers saving on healthcare costs by living abroad. Europe, in particular, offers affordable healthcare, walkable cities, comparatively cheap housing, and affordable, safe schools, making it an attractive destination.
Relocation agencies are experiencing surging demand, with some new companies catering to specific demographics like high-net-worth individuals, Trump critics, Black Americans, and women. A Gallup poll last year showed 40% of American women aged 15-44 would consider moving overseas, compared to 37% of sub-Saharan Africans. This phenomenon, which some call the "Donald Dash," reflects a deeper societal shift, as a 2023 Gallup poll found one in five Americans want to leave the U.S., up from one in ten during the 2008 recession.
The increasing presence of Americans abroad has, in some areas, led to protests by locals due to gentrification, as remote workers paid in dollars strain local housing markets. Despite this, European countries are actively luring Americans with eased visa rules and tax codes that allow U.S. citizens to experience Europe while benefiting from American-style salaries. For example, more Americans moved to Germany than Germans moved to America last year, and Ireland welcomed 10,000 U.S. residents in 2025, double the 2024 number. The number of U.S. residents in Portugal has surged over 500% since the COVID pandemic, growing 36% in 2024 alone.
