A record number of Americans are expected to leave the United States in 2025, with Global Citizen Solutions estimating that 180,000 US citizens will emigrate this year. The same source says citizenship renunciations are on pace to end near 5,000, a level far above the few hundred a year seen before 2009.
The shift is showing up not just in departures but in the queue to give up citizenship. Analysts estimate demand for renunciation appointments now exceeds 30,000, and that pressure may rise further after last month’s cut in the renunciation fee from $2,350 to $450. For many Americans, the pull is not one thing but a mix of politics, cost of living, health care access and daily quality of life.
The numbers are hard to pin down because the US government does not officially track how many residents live or move abroad, leaving outside estimates to fill the gap. The Association of Americans Resident Overseas put the number of Americans living abroad at 5.4 million in 2023 and 5.5 million as of October 2024, while World Population Review said nearly 8 million Americans were living outside the country in 2024. The US State Department estimates about 1.6 million Americans live in Mexico alone.
What is clear is that more Americans are trying to build a life beyond US borders without necessarily giving up their passports. They have sought second passports through ancestry programs and residence permits through so-called golden visa routes, especially in Portugal. As of 2023, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal were the top countries holding residence permits issued to US nationals.
The appetite for moving abroad has also risen in public opinion. Gallup found that the share of Americans who said they wanted to emigrate held at 10 to 11 percent through the George W. Bush and Obama presidencies, then rose to 16 percent during the first Trump presidency. By November 2025, one in five Americans told Gallup they would like to move abroad permanently.
The contrast between interest and action is stark. Before 2009, citizenship renunciations averaged just 200 to 400 a year. Now, with appointment demand far above available slots and the fee newly lower, the backlogged interest suggests that the exodus is being shaped as much by process as by sentiment. The next question is not whether Americans are looking overseas. It is how many will find a way to go, and how quickly the system can absorb them.
