Kenneth Glad
New migration estimates point to an unusual demographic shift in 2025. Researchers say a mix of social, economic and political factors may be shaping people’s decisions about living abroad.
The idea of leaving the United States is no longer a fringe fantasy. In November 2025, Gallup found that 20% of Americans said they would move permanently to another country if they had the chance — up from 13% in 2019 and 7% in 2014.
That growing interest may now be reflected in migration data.
The Wall Street Journal, citing estimates from the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based policy think tank, reported that the U.S. saw net emigration of about 150,000 people in 2025.
In other words, more people left the country than moved into it. For the United States — long known as a destination for immigrants — that is a rare development. According to Brookings’ estimates, highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, it would be the first time such a shift has occurred since the economic turmoil of the 1930s.
Americans living abroad are nothing new — writers, businesspeople and artists have formed expatriate communities in cities like Paris, London and Mexico City for more than a century. But the latest data suggests the numbers may now be rising more broadly.
The people leaving are not only migrants affected by immigration policy. The Wall Street Journal writes that many are American citizens themselves, including students and middle-class professionals choosing to relocate overseas.
Politics May Be Part of the Story
Economic hardship has traditionally driven emigration waves. But analysts say the current economic climate alone does not fully explain the new numbers.
Jørn Brøndal, a professor of American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark and head of the Center for American Studies, calls the figures striking partly for that reason.
“The economic situation does not in itself suggest such a major change,” Brøndal said to Danish broadcaster TV2. “So it is fair to speculate that this may also be about politics.”
He pointed in particular to the strong reactions some Americans have had to Donald Trump and to what they perceive as a sharper political climate. “Many Democrats seem to be having a very difficult time with Trump,” he said.
Brøndal added that he personally knows Americans who no longer wish to work in a country they believe is moving in “a more authoritarian direction.”
Europe Is Drawing More Americans
For those who do leave, Europe has become one of the main destinations.
The Wall Street Journal indicates that all 27 European Union member states have recently recorded unusually high numbers of American arrivals. Some countries have seen especially rapid growth. The number of Americans living in the Czech Republic has doubled over the past decade, while Portugal’s American population has increased fivefold since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In recent years, several European governments have also introduced visa programs aimed at attracting remote workers and higher-earning expatriates, making relocation easier.
For some Americans, the choice comes down to lifestyle.
“Wages are higher in the United States, but the quality of life is better in Europe,” Chris Ford, a 41-year-old American who moved to Berlin, told The Wall Street Journal.
A Long-Building Split
The phenomenon may reflect broader social changes already visible inside the United States.
Brøndal notes that since the 1970s, Americans have increasingly chosen where to live within the country based on politics as much as economics, often relocating to counties where voters share similar views.
That trend does not prove politics is driving emigration. But it suggests that, for a growing number of Americans, questions about where to live are increasingly tied to how they view the direction of their country.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Brookings Institution, TV2 Denmark, Gallup
