Emigration from the United States facts for kids
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 9,000,000 (2016, est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Mexico |
1,500,000 |
 Canada |
1,000,000 |
 India |
1,000,000 (2019) |
 Germany |
324,000 |
 Philippines |
220,000–600,000 |
 Israel and  Palestine |
200,000 |
 France |
150,000-200,000 |
 United Kingdom |
139,000–197,143 |
 Costa Rica |
130,000 |
 South Korea |
120,000–158,000 |
 China |
72,000 |
 Saudi Arabia |
80,000 |
 Brazil |
70,000 |
 Japan |
59,172-153,389 |
 Australia |
56,276 |
 Puerto Rico |
54,767 |
 Pakistan |
52,486 |
 Italy |
50,000–54,000 |
 United Arab Emirates |
50,000 |
 Haiti |
45,000 |
 Spain |
39,521 (2021) |
 Argentina |
37,000 |
 Norway |
33,509 |
 Singapore |
30,000+ |
 Bahamas |
30,000 |
 Lebanon |
25,000 |
 Panama |
25,000 |
 Dominican Republic |
24,457 |
 El Salvador |
19,000 |
 New Zealand |
21,462 |
 Ireland |
17,552 (2017) |
 Honduras |
15,000 |
 Taiwan |
13,262 |
 Chile |
12,000 |
 Austria |
10,175 |
 Bermuda |
8,000 |
 Kuwait |
8,000 |
 Guatemala |
6,345 |
 Nicaragua |
4,000 |
The American diaspora is a term for people from the United States who live in other countries. Think of it as the opposite of immigration, which is when people move to the U.S. The U.S. government doesn't officially count how many Americans live abroad. So, we rely on other countries' records to estimate these numbers.
Contents
A Look Back: Americans Moving Abroad
Even before the United States became a country, people moved between the United Kingdom and its colonies. During the American Revolutionary War, many American Loyalists moved to other countries. Most went to Canada and the United Kingdom. It was rare for people to live outside the British Empire unless they were wealthy. For example, Benjamin Franklin paid for his own trip to Paris as a U.S. diplomat.
Early American Travelers
After the American Revolutionary War, about 3,000 Black Loyalists moved to Nova Scotia. These were men who had escaped slavery and fought for the British. The British gave them freedom certificates and helped them settle. Other Black Loyalists went to London or Caribbean colonies.
Many formerly enslaved people fled to British lines during the war. When the British left, they took many of these people with them. Some ended up in London. In 1787, 400 of them moved to Freetown in Africa. Five years later, 1,192 Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia also moved to Sierra Leone. These settlers became known as the Sierra Leone Creole people. They helped found the nation of Sierra Leone.
The 1800s: Exploring the World
In the 1800s, Americans started traveling globally for business. This was thanks to more whalers and clipper ships. Religious missionaries also began going overseas. For example, Adoniram Judson went to Myanmar.
During the War of 1812, some African Americans who were enslaved joined the British. They fought against the U.S. and were promised freedom. They were given land in southern Trinidad. Their descendants are known as the Merikins.
In the mid-1800s, many people from New England moved to Hawaii. They went as missionaries, traders, and whalers. Americans living there eventually took over the government. This led to Hawaii becoming part of the United States.
The American Colonization Society created a colony called Liberia in Africa. It was for freed slaves. Their goals were to spread Christianity, stop the illegal slave trade, and move African Americans out of the U.S. Their descendants, the Americo-Liberians, led Liberia for much of its history.
Thousands of free Black people moved from the U.S. to Haiti between 1824 and 1826. They wanted to escape unfair laws and racism. They mostly settled in Samana Province. Their descendants still live there and speak their own kind of English.
After the American Civil War, many Southerners moved to Brazil. Slavery was still legal there. They founded a town called Americana and were known as Confederados. Some also went to Mexico. They tried to start a colony there, but it didn't last. Many former Confederates also lived in Belize.
In Asia, the U.S. government worked to get special rights for its citizens. This started with a treaty in China in 1844. Then, Commodore Perry went to Japan. American traders began to settle in these countries.
The 1900s: New Reasons to Move
Many Americans moved to the Philippines after it became a U.S. territory. This happened after the Philippine–American War.
Cecil Rhodes created the Rhodes Scholarship in 1902. It helps students study abroad. This was meant to improve cooperation between the U.S., the British Empire, and Germany.
Between World Wars
Between World War I and World War II, many Americans moved to Europe. Writers like Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein were among them. They wanted to be part of the exciting cultural scene.
Cities like Paris, Berlin, and Rome had many Americans. Some Americans, often those with strong political beliefs, also joined the Spanish Civil War. They supported the side fighting against the Nationalists.
Some Americans returned to their home countries. For example, the parents of author Eric Carle moved back to Germany. Thousands of Japanese Americans could not return to the U.S. after the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
During the Cold War
During the Cold War, many American soldiers were stationed in countries like West Germany and South Korea. This meant Americans became a regular part of life in those places.
The government also started programs to encourage young Americans to go abroad. The Fulbright Program began in 1946 for cultural exchange. The Peace Corps started in 1961. It encouraged cultural exchange and volunteering.
When Israel was formed, over 100,000 Jewish people moved there. They helped build the new state. Other Americans went to countries like Lebanon for cultural reasons.
During the Vietnam War, about 100,000 American men went abroad to avoid joining the military. Most went to Canada. European countries like Denmark and Sweden offered safety to thousands of Americans who refused to fight.
Some Americans left the country for political reasons. They moved to places like the Soviet Union or Cuba. Examples include Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann and Joanne Chesimard.
Americans also continued to travel for religious reasons. Richard James, who invented the Slinky, went to Bolivia with a Bible translation group. The Peoples Temple group created Jonestown in Guyana.
After the Cold War
After the Cold War, Eastern Europe and Central Asia opened up. This created new chances for American businesses. Also, the demand for English teachers grew worldwide. Many Americans now take a year abroad during college. Some even return to that country after they graduate.
Some Americans who left the military during the Iraq War sought safety in Canada and Europe. Edward Snowden, who shared secret information, went to Russia.
More Americans are retiring abroad because of money problems. This is especially true after the 2008 financial crisis. Young Americans facing a tough job market are also more willing to work overseas.
A 2019 poll showed that 16% of Americans would like to leave the U.S. This includes 40% of women under 30.
Why Do Americans Move Abroad?
People move from the United States for many reasons.
- Some seek better job opportunities or a higher standard of living.
- Others move because they marry someone from another country.
- Some go for religious or humanitarian work.
- Many want adventure or to experience a new culture.
- Retirees often move abroad for a lower cost of living, especially for healthcare.
- Immigrants to the U.S. might return to their home countries to be with family.
- Other reasons include being unhappy with politics, safety worries, or cultural issues like racism.
- In the past, some moved to avoid mandatory military service.
Many children are born in the U.S. to foreign workers or students. They often move with their parents when they return home. These children are sometimes called "accidental Americans." This is because they get U.S. citizenship at birth but don't have strong ties to the country.
Easy Access to Certain Countries
U.S. citizens can live in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. This is thanks to special agreements with the U.S. They can also move to Svalbard if they can find housing and support themselves.
Americans with parents or ancestors from countries like Germany, Ireland, or Italy might be able to get citizenship there. This is based on family ties. Germany and Austria also make it easier for descendants of people harmed by the Nazi crimes to get citizenship. American Jews can move to Israel under its Law of Return.
The USMCA allows U.S. citizens to work in Canada and Mexico in certain jobs. However, to live there permanently, they still need to meet the regular immigration rules.
How Many Americans Live Abroad?
There are no exact numbers for how many Americans live outside the U.S. The U.S. Census Bureau does not count them. U.S. embassies only give rough guesses.
In 1999, the Department of State thought 3 to 6 million Americans lived abroad. In 2016, they estimated 9 million. But these numbers can change quickly and are hard to check.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) believes the Department of State's numbers are too high. FVAP makes its own estimates. They use information from other countries' censuses and U.S. tax records. In 2018, FVAP estimated about 4.8 million U.S. citizens abroad. About 2.9 million of them were old enough to vote.
The United Nations estimated that about 3.2 million people from the U.S. lived elsewhere in 2019. This number mainly counts people born in the U.S. It does not include U.S. citizens born abroad or those who became citizens later.
One way to guess the number is by looking at Consular Reports of Birth Abroad. These are documents for U.S. citizens whose children are born in other countries. From 2000 to 2009, over 500,000 such documents were issued. Based on this, some experts think 3.6 to 4.3 million U.S. civilians live overseas.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also has some numbers. U.S. citizens with a certain income must file U.S. taxes, no matter where they live. In 2019, the IRS received about 739,000 tax returns from people with foreign addresses. This includes about 1.3 million people, counting spouses and children.
Where Do Americans Live?
Here are some of the main countries where Americans live:
- Mexico – 899,311 (2017)
European Union – 800,000 (2013; all EU countries combined)- Canada – 738,203 (2011)
- India – 700,000 (2017)
- Philippines – 600,000 (2015)
- Germany – 400,000 (2020)
- Brazil – 260,000
Israel – 185,000- United Kingdom – 158,000 (2013)
- South Korea – 140,222 (2016)
- France – 100,619 (2008)
- Australia – 90,100 (2011)
- Japan – 88,000 (2011)
Hong Kong – 85,000- China – 71,493 (2010, Mainland China only)
Colombia – 60,000- Italy – 54,000
- Pakistan – 52,486
Netherlands – 48,000 (2021)- Spain – 48,225
- Haiti – 45,000
- United Arab Emirates – 40,000
- Republic of China (Taiwan) – 38,000
- Argentina – 37,000
Belgium – 36,000- Saudi Arabia – 36,000
Switzerland – 32,000
Poland – 31,000 to 60,000- Bahamas – 30,000
- Singapore – 30,000+
Venezuela – 26,000- Lebanon – 25,000
- Panama – 25,000
- Dominican Republic – 24,457
- New Zealand – 21,462 (2006)
- El Salvador – 19,000
- Ireland – 17,552 (2017)
Sweden – 16,555 (2009)- Honduras – 15,000
Hungary – 15,000
Kenya – 14,000
Indonesia – 13,000- Chile – 12,000
South Africa – 12,000- Austria – 10,175
Peru — 10,409 (2017)
Denmark – 9,634 (2018)
Czech Republic – 9,510 (2019)- Costa Rica – 9,128 to 50,000
Jamaica – 8,100- Norway – 8,013 (2012)
- Bermuda – 8,000
- Kuwait – 8,000
Malaysia – 8,000
Ecuador – 7,500
Cuba – 7,200- Guatemala – 6,345 (2010)
Romania – 6,000
Egypt – 6,000
Trinidad and Tobago – 6,000
Finland – 5,576
Belize – 5,000
Bolivia – 5,000
Qatar – 4,000
Thailand – 4,000- Nicaragua – 4,000
Antigua and Barbuda – 3,000
Uruguay – 3,000
Cayman Islands – 3,000
Jordan – 3,000
Vietnam – 3,000
Bulgaria – 3,000
Portugal – 2,228 (2008)
Russia – at least 2,008 up to 6,200
Greece – at least 2,000
Paraguay – 2,000
Albania – 2,000
Being a U.S. Citizen Abroad
If you are born in the United States, you become a U.S. citizen. The only exception is for children of foreign diplomats. If you are born abroad to at least one American parent, you can also become a U.S. citizen. This happens if your parent lived in the U.S. for a certain number of years. People who move to the U.S. can also become citizens through a process called naturalization.
In the past, Americans living abroad could lose their U.S. citizenship without wanting to. But now, it's much harder to lose citizenship. You can only lose it in a few ways. The most common way is to officially give it up at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Not many Americans used to give up their citizenship each year. But this changed a lot after 2010. The U.S. government passed a law called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). This law requires foreign banks to report information about American bank account holders outside the U.S.
Many Americans found this law difficult. They also had trouble finding banks willing to accept them as customers. So, more than 3,000 Americans gave up their citizenship in 2013. This number grew to over 5,000 in 2016 and over 6,000 in 2020.
Challenges for Americans Abroad
One big challenge for Americans living abroad is double taxation. Unlike most countries, the U.S. taxes its citizens even if they don't live in the country. There are ways to reduce this, like the foreign earned income exclusion. This helps with taxes on money earned from work.
However, the U.S. tax system treats regular foreign savings plans like special tax avoidance tools. This means Americans abroad have to do a lot of paperwork. This can be expensive, even if they don't owe any taxes. Even Canada's savings plan for people with disabilities falls under these rules.
The FATCA law has caused many problems for Americans abroad. It can make it harder for them to get jobs overseas. This might lead to fewer Americans living abroad in the future. Some Americans have even given up their U.S. citizenship because of these issues. The number of people giving up U.S. citizenship has reached new records almost every year since 2013.
