For the first time in roughly 90 years — dating back to the Great Depression — the United States has seen more people moving out of the country than moving in.
The Trump administration has made immigration to the U.S., along with mass deportations, chief among its priorities. But according to the Wall Street Journal, there’s also an exodus fueled by American citizens seeking better lives abroad.
The U.S. experienced a net negative migration of roughly 150,000 people in 2025, according to the Brookings Institution. The Washington, D.C. think tank expects even more Americans than that will leave in 2026.
A Wall Street Journal analysis of data from just 15 countries found that at least 180,000 Americans citizens left the U.S. to live abroad last year. The total number is almost surely higher globally.
Telecommuters and retirees are reportedly finding that their U.S. incomes go further outside of the 50 states. The Journal also cites safety as a top reason Americans are increasingly opting to live abroad.
“You don’t face the prospect of your 5-year-old going into a kindergarten and doing an active shooter drill,” said 41-year-old Chris Ford, who works for a Dallas-based company and lives in Berlin.
The Journal reports the number of Americans living in Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic has roughly doubled in the past decade. Twice as many U.S. citizens moved to Ireland in 2025 than in 2024.
Germany took in more Americans than the reverse last year, while the number of U.S. citizens living in Portugal reportedly increased by 500% since the Covid pandemic, including a 36% spike in 2024.
Meanwhile, the United States saw 2.875 million deportations including “self-deportations” in 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
