A sharp rise in political division and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is driving a record number of Americans to leave the U.S. at levels experts say haven’t been seen in generations.
In 2025, the growing number of Americans leaving the country permanently reportedly led to the first estimated net population outflow from the U.S. in decades — something experts tell the Wall Street Journal may not have happened since the era of the 1929 Great Depression.
“Previously, the Americans leaving were super-adventurous and well-credentialed,” said Jen Barnett, founder of the resettlement consultancy firm Expatsi, who also relocated from the US to Yucatán, Mexico, in 2024. “Now they’re ordinary people, like me.”
The U.S. government does not officially track how many Americans permanently relocate overseas, making exact figures difficult to determine. However, Brookings estimates net outward migration in 2025 ranged from 10,000 to as many as 295,000 people leaving the country, with similar trends expected in 2026. Other estimates place the number closer to 150,000 Americans who moved abroad in 2025 alone.
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Before 2009, only a few hundred Americans typically renounced their citizenship each year. By 2025, that number had climbed to nearly 5,000, with experts expecting even more renunciations as the cost to do so has dropped significantly. Across Europe, nearly all 27 European Union countries have reported record numbers of Americans relocating there to live and work.
Outside of Europe, Mexico remains one of the most popular destinations for Americans relocating abroad. The U.S. State Department estimates roughly 1.6 million Americans now live there, making it home to the largest population of U.S. expats anywhere in the world.
More Americans could join the trend with a November 2025 Gallup poll finding that one in five Americans would like to permanently leave the U.S. — nearly double the number from a decade ago. Researchers point to growing political division, rising living costs, remote work opportunities, digital nomad programs, and “golden visa” incentives as major reasons more people are exploring life overseas.
“For the better part of two centuries, the story of American migration ran in a single direction: inward,” a Global Citizen Solutions report recently said of the trend. “The United States was the gravitational center of global human movement, the place people came to, not the place people left. That narrative is shifting.”
A February 2025 The Harris Poll found that many Americans considering leaving the U.S. pointed to unaffordable homeownership, rising living costs, and political frustrations as key reasons. Meanwhile, expensive states like California and Hawaii have also seen population declines as domestic migration continues.
