“..: more people moved out of the country than moved in.”

Americans are leaving the United States in record numbers and relocating to destinations including Europe. In 2025, the U.S. experienced something not seen since the onset of the Great Depression in 1929: more people moved out of the country than moved in.

According to The Wall…

— Orla Joelsen (@OJoelsen) February 27, 2026

Americans are leaving the United States in record numbers and relocating to destinations including Europe. In 2025, the U.S. experienced something not seen since the onset of the Great Depression in 1929: more people moved out of the country than moved in.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. population declined by 150,000 last year. The outward migration appears set to continue in 2026, based on estimates from the Brookings Institution.

For many, the new American dream no longer involves living in the United States. Millions of Americans are studying, working remotely, or retiring abroad—many choosing Europe as their destination.

In Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, Americans are purchasing so many apartments that some newcomers complain they hear more English than Portuguese. In Dublin, Ireland, one in fifteen residents in the sought-after Grand Canal Dock district was born in the United States—an even higher share than the percentage of Americans born in Ireland at the beginning of the 19th century. Meanwhile, in Bali, Indonesia, and in Thailand, local residents have protested what they describe as an influx of Americans working “from home” abroad.

According to the Brookings Institution, immigration to the United States fell to between 2.6 and 2.7 million in 2025, down from nearly six million in 2023. Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security deported 675,000 individuals, while 2.2 million departures were categorized as “self-deportations.”

Based on entry data from 15 countries, The Wall Street Journal estimates that at least 180,000 additional Americans left the United States last year, joining the estimated four to nine million U.S. citizens already living abroad. More than 1.5 million Americans now reside in Europe, according to the Paris-based organization Association of Americans Resident Overseas.

Factors driving the appeal include Europe’s lifestyle, lower healthcare costs, walkable cities, widespread use of English, relatively more affordable and spacious housing, and secure, well-ranked schools.

— Berlingske

Stephen Miller says it is all going according to plan. Of course, the people who are leaving are the ones who can afford to leave:

Factors driving the appeal include Europe’s lifestyle, lower healthcare costs, walkable cities, widespread use of English, relatively more affordable and spacious housing, and secure, well-ranked schools.

The uber-wealthy are perfectly fine. The rest of us are just fodder for the xenophobic and imperialist fever dreams of Trump and Miller. Welcome back to the 19th century, in the 21st.

How’s the price of eggs, by the way?