More Americans than ever are moving abroad right now. But who is really leaving the US, and where are they going?
The U.S. government can’t answer that with any clarity; we haven’t tracked statistics on Americans leaving since the Eisenhower administration. However, a recent Wall St Journal article sheds light on the trend. Data from the Brookings Institution estimates that 150,000 more people left the U.S. in 2025 than emigrated to it, with that gap expected to increase for 2026 and beyond.
It’s not just the high-value Americans that are leaving the U.S., either. As our co-founder Jen Barnett told the WSJ, “Previously, the Americans leaving were super-adventurous and well-credentialed. Now, they’re ordinary people like me.” This is proven out by internal data from our Expatsi Test, which has been taken over 400,000 times since 2022. We also saw a massive spike in our scouting trips; in 2026, we’re hosting 57 of these trips abroad. We started with just three trips only two years ago.
Our clients show strong interest in moving to hotspots like Portugal and Mexico, along with other popular destinations like Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Latin America continues to welcome new expats, particularly Ecuador and Uruguay, known as “the Switzerland of South America.” Albania in Eastern Europe also receives ample attention, according to our local expat Kelly McCoy who offers consultations there.
Families, digital nomads, and solo expats just like yourself are leaving the U.S. for a better life. Why not you?
