Not a melting pot: More and more Americans are fleeing the country
Last year, a record number of citizens left the United States of America since the Great Depression. The number of people who left the country exceeded the number of those who entered by 150,000. The trend has been entrenched in American society for quite a long time, partly due to the growth of remote work, the rising cost of living and social media, but the second presidential term of Donald Trump has given this phenomenon a "second wind." What are the true reasons for the relocation of US citizens and what are the consequences of the "relocation trend" for the state's economy — in the Izvestia article.
Escape from the States
Last year, the number of people who left the United States exceeded the number who entered the country by 150,000. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing a study by the Brookings Institution. The publication also noted that this figure is likely to grow in 2026. Analysts believe that the figures may differ from the real ones, as official data do not fully reflect the number of those who have left.
According to the US Department of Homeland Security, 675,000 people were deported from the country in 2025, and another 2.2 million decided to leave on their own. According to the WSJ, based on figures from 15 countries, this number includes at least 180,000 Americans. In turn, the number of migrants who arrived in the United States last year was about 2.6–2.7 million. This figure is significantly lower than the peak of 2023, when 6 million foreigners came to the country.
According to the census data, the last time a similar situation was observed was during the Great Depression, in 1935. Then the emigrants chose the Soviet Union as their destination.
Popular destinations for relocation among citizens of the United States are European and South American countries. A record number of Americans live and work in almost all 27 member States of the European Union, which continues to grow. The number of applications for renunciation of American citizenship has increased: in 2024, the number of such requests increased by 48%. In Ireland alone, approximately 40,000 migrants from the United States received citizenship last year.
"For a number of citizens, the new American dream is to no longer live in the United States," the publication emphasizes.
As a result of the moves, Americans began to "capture" the housing markets in Europe and Asia. In addition to Ireland, Portugal has become a popular destination for immigration among Americans since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of permanent residents of the United States has increased by more than 500%. Against this background, housing prices in some historic areas of Lisbon have doubled in the last five years.
Causes of "shaking"
Experts note that wealthy people often leave the country and renounce their citizenship. There are several explanations for this. First of all, this trend is due to the fact that Americans often consider the possibility of moving for political and ideological reasons - the elite of the United States traditionally supports the interests of the Democratic Party and simply does not accept the policies of the current leader of the state, Donald Trump.
Every new electoral cycle in the United States creates "institutional instability" that worries Americans, American political scientist Malek Dudakov told Izvestia.
— During Black Lives Matter (BLM) and in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, many wealthy Americans left at least temporarily because they expected serious riots, upheavals and pogroms in the United States. The crisis and division within the state still haven't gone away. Similar riots are currently taking place in some states," he said, noting that the situation could repeat itself during the upcoming congressional elections in 2026.
Back in 2024, CNBC wrote that wealthy Americans expressed their intention to leave the United States after the presidential election, regardless of who wins it. In February 2025, the TV channel prepared a story where, based on information from international banks, it reported on the "largest migration" of rich people in history. At that time, the United Arab Emirates became the leader in the relocation of the richest families and their businesses.
According to the results of the annual Greenback survey, the proportion of Americans living outside the United States who want to renounce their native country's citizenship has increased from 30% to 49%. More than half of the respondents (51%) attributed this to disagreement with the policy of the White House.
In addition, the lack of a sense of security plays an important role in this situation. Americans are afraid for their own lives and the future of their children — 27 out of 50 states allow the free circulation of firearms without obtaining a license.
Texas is a prominent representative of this policy. In 2021, the state passed the permitless carry Act, which allows any citizen over the age of 21 to carry a gun openly or covertly without undergoing any special training. To own a weapon freely, a citizen must not have a criminal record and be under the influence of drugs.
However, in only three states — Idaho, Kansas and South Dakota — the use of marijuana is illegal. In other places, it is either fully legalized, decriminalized, or allowed for medical purposes.
Another important factor is the decline in Americans' living standards. Other countries offer them more affordable prices for groceries, housing, education, old age care, and so on. More than 100,000 students have enrolled in foreign universities, where tuition is much more affordable than in the United States. And nursing homes in Mexico offer low-cost care to elderly Americans, The Daily Beast noted.
Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, clarifies that Americans are also thinking about relocation, since it is not their professional skills that are evaluated at work, but skin color and gender. This significantly undermines the credibility of the employer's integrity.
— There are situations when organizations set "quotas". For example, 10% of women, 15% of ethnic minorities, and 10% of transgender people should be in different positions in the company (the LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation). This angers potential qualified professionals. That's why they started moving to different countries, even to China," the expert explains.
The American Peak
A White House official had previously stated that "the U.S. economy is far ahead of other developed countries." According to him, the Trump administration's policy was to deport hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and attract "countless foreigners with super-high incomes" who are willing to buy a gold card for $1 million "to settle in the United States."
However, rich Americans who leave are renouncing their citizenship in order to avoid paying huge taxes. Malek Dudakov argues that wealthy US citizens contribute the bulk of their income to the country's budget, but the poor do not pay anything. It turns out that a scenario is possible in which the United States will have to manage funds more efficiently, which will become fewer in the near future.
— The richest Americans pay about 80% of all income tax, while the poorest pay almost nothing. This will affect both the budget and innovation, because without these well-off Americans, fewer jobs will be created and new companies will appear. Already, the trend is acquiring real negative economic consequences and will continue in the future," the expert summarizes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
