WSJ What’s News Why Record Numbers of Americans Are Leaving the U.S.
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Feb 26, 2026 
Joe Parkinson, WSJ world enterprise chief who tracks global trends and migration, explains why record numbers of Americans are leaving the U.S. He describes who is moving and how remote work and tech enable relocations. He outlines reasons like affordability, safety, work-life balance and political volatility. He names popular destinations and how countries are courting U.S. movers.
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Record Outflow Of American Citizens
- U.S. net negative migration in 2023 partly reflects Americans leaving in record numbers.
- WSJ analysis of 15 countries found at least 180,000 U.S. citizens moved abroad, revealing a substantial outbound trend beyond deportations.
Data Gap Forces Reverse Migration Accounting
- U.S. government lacks reliable recent data on citizens emigrating, so researchers must compile foreign-host country records.
- Joe Parkinson and the WSJ aggregated data from multiple countries to reconstruct the outflow picture.
Remote Work Turned Emigration Into An Everyday Choice
- Remote work and tech-enabled mobility have widened who can move abroad, turning relocations from elite assignments to common choices.
- Joe Parkinson notes people now work for U.S. companies while based in Lisbon, Bali, or Mexico City.