Washington is witnessing an unprecedented exodus of its citizens, marking the first net migration loss since the Great Depression. Financial Daily reports reveal that hundreds of thousands of Americans are packing up and leaving the country, driven by soaring costs, remote work opportunities, and a desire for better lifestyles abroad.
According to estimates from the Brookings Institution, net out-migration reached approximately 150,000 last year, with projections indicating a surge to even higher numbers by 2026. The Wall Street Journal’s analysis of data from 15 countries shows that inbound migration to the US plummeted to 2.6-2.7 million in 2025, down sharply from 6 million in 2023. At least 180,000 Americans relocated to these nations alone, and full figures are expected to climb much higher.
No single dataset captures the full scope of the 4-9 million Americans living overseas, but the State Department notes significant communities: nearly 1.6 million in Mexico, over 250,000 in Canada, and 325,000 in Britain, part of 1.5 million across Europe. Portugal has seen a staggering 500% increase in American residents since the pandemic, with a 36% jump in 2024. Ireland welcomed 10,000 Americans in 2025—double the previous year—and Germany now sees more arrivals from the US than departures to it.
Relocation firms report booming demand. At a recent Expatsey conference call, 400 Americans signed up to learn how to move to Albania. Founder Jen Barnett observes a shift: ‘Previously, those leaving were super-adventurous with top credentials. Now, they’re everyday folks like me.’ Her company aims to relocate 1 million Americans.
This trend, dubbed the ‘Donald Dash,’ accelerated during President Trump’s second term, though roots lie in remote work, high living expenses, and lifestyle preferences. A White House spokesperson countered that the US economy outperforms peers, with mass deportations of illegal immigrants and incentives like $1 million golden visas drawing ultra-wealthy foreigners.
The Department of Homeland Security recorded 675,000 deportations and 2.2 million self-deportations last year. Renunciations of US citizenship are surging too, with a 48% increase in 2024 applications to escape foreign income taxes or gain new passports; backlogs persist. Modern migrants include families and mid-career professionals. Chris Ford, now in Berlin, said, ‘In Europe, you don’t face active shooter drills at your 5-year-old’s kindergarten. Salaries are higher in the US, but quality of life wins here.’
Spain’s government spokesperson Alma Saiz Delgado noted, ‘Many Americans arrive, and after four glasses of wine, they decide to stay.’ Education trends mirror this: international student inflows to the US dropped 17%, while Britons saw 6,600 citizenship applications by March 2025, and Ireland issued 31,825 passports to Americans in 2024, up from 40,000 the prior year.
Kelly McCoy from New York shared, ‘In Albania, you can live comfortably on $1,000 a month.’ This echoes 1935, when Depression-era Americans sought work in the Soviet Union, turning the US into a net emigration nation for the first time—a rare historical parallel.