An IMGlobalWealth.com News Report
America has long been seen as a destination for those seeking opportunity. Increasingly, however, some of its own citizens are looking the other way. New research by Global Citizen Solutions suggests that 42% of Americans have considered or are planning to relocate abroad, with the figure rising to 63% among Gen Z respondents. The Boston Globe, citing Pew Research Center, reported that an estimated 180,000 US citizens emigrated in 2025, describing it as the largest outbound movement of US citizens in decades. Because the US does not officially track how many citizens leave to live abroad, such figures remain estimates rather than precise counts.
“in 2025, 40% of American women aged 15 to 44 said they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity”
The more concrete data concern citizenship renunciation. The US Treasury publishes quarterly lists of individuals who have lost US citizenship, and recent reporting based on those Federal Register notices indicates that renunciations approached 5,000 in 2025, compared with roughly 200 to 400 per year before 2009. Demand may rise further after the State Department reduced the fee for renouncing US citizenship from $2,350 to $450, effective 13 April 2026.
The trend is not only about politics, although political unease has clearly played a role. Cost of living, healthcare access, housing pressure, taxation, safety, remote working and lifestyle are also shaping decisions. Gallup polling has pointed to a particularly sharp rise among younger women: in 2025, 40% of American women aged 15 to 44 said they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity.
Europe remains one of the main areas of interest, with countries such as Portugal, Spain, Germany, France and Italy often featuring in relocation plans. Yet the scale of the American diaspora is difficult to measure. The Association of Americans Resident Overseas estimated in October 2024 that 5.5 million Americans live abroad, while World Population Review has put the number at more than 8 million.
What is clearer is the shift in mindset. For many Americans, living abroad is no longer a romantic escape or a retirement fantasy. It is becoming a practical hedge: a second residence, a second passport, or at least a serious Plan B.
