We are hearing a lot about immigration due to the election year we are in as well as due to our proximity to the border. The American Dream is still a real dream to our neighboring countries but where are the Americans that have left the US going?
In 2020, the US State Department estimated that 9 million citizens were living overseas. With the impact of Covid creating a greater opportunity to work remotely, it can be assumed this number has increased substantially, especially since there is no obligation for US citizens to register with the State Department.
Adrian Leeds, a successful ex-pat real estate agent in France, shared that according to a 2023 study done by the blog HireaHelper.com, the UK is the number one destination for departing Americans, with Mexico falling just behind that. The lack of a language barrier in the UK and knowledge of Spanish or accessibility of learning Spanish contributes to the ease of moving to these locations. Learning French is a greater undertaking and despite the US's proximity to Canada, there is less familiarity and use of French here.
According to the official statistics as provided by the respective countries & compiled by HireAHelper, about 160,000 Americans moved to 40 different countries in 2022, more than any year since 2017, and is a 16% increase over 2021. And if you add up all the years, 821,000 citizens have relocated.
According to Leeds, these articles citing the statistics offer up a few reasons for the moves, particularly remote working which has enabled people to live wherever they want and still earn a living. But she will say that her clients are citing the following reasons: lower cost of living, lower taxation, better quality of life and the biggest one of all—political and moral issues. They are not happy with the direction the U.S. is taking and the potential impact of a new president.
If you were to leave the United States to reside in another country...where would you go?
