Emigration from the United States
Encyclopedia
Emigration from the United States is a complex demographic phenomenon existing for decades and having a number of reasons. The process is the reverse of the immigration to the United States
.
For the first centuries of its existence, the US benefited from its low population density
and had attracted large masses of immigrants. However, in the last century, the large number of overseas interventions
was followed by consolidation, during which a civilian exodus led to a sizable overseas American-born presence.
Another major source of emigrants from the United States are former military personnel retiring to the countries where they were previously based. As of 2010, the number of American long-term residents in the United Kingdom giving up on their U.S. citizenship has overwhelmed the U.S. embassy to the point where waiting lists extend for more than half a year.
s (expats) for a limited amount of time. There is a scarcity of official records in this domain. Given the high dynamics of the emigration-prone groups, emigration from United States remains indiscernible from temporary country leave.
As of 2009, there are over 6 million non-military U.S. citizens living abroad., an increase from the 4 million estimated in 1999. However, these numbers are highly open to dispute as they often are unverified and can change rapidly.
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
.
For the first centuries of its existence, the US benefited from its low population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
and had attracted large masses of immigrants. However, in the last century, the large number of overseas interventions
Overseas interventions of the United States
The United States has been involved in a number of overseas interventions throughout its history.- Before the Cold War :The Barbary Wars of the 18th and early 19th centuries were the first was waged by the United States outside it's boundaries after the War of Independence...
was followed by consolidation, during which a civilian exodus led to a sizable overseas American-born presence.
Another major source of emigrants from the United States are former military personnel retiring to the countries where they were previously based. As of 2010, the number of American long-term residents in the United Kingdom giving up on their U.S. citizenship has overwhelmed the U.S. embassy to the point where waiting lists extend for more than half a year.
Some other reasons for emigration from United States
- Economic reasons (e.g. inexpensive housing in Mexico)
- Family reasons (most common with recent immigrants or permanent residents).
- Marriage to a foreigner with a job in the foreign country (especially for American women).
- Business opportunities (i.e. American corporations in the Persian GulfPersian GulfThe Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
and East AsiaEast AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
). - Religious reasons (e.g. aliyahAliyahAliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
). - Quality of life issues (i.e. in countries such as CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
). - Political disenchantment (e.g. John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
supporters who claimed they would emigrate if George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was re-elected in the 2004 US Presidential election). - Health issues (see medical tourismMedical tourismMedical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care...
). - Evasion of legal liabilities (e.g. crimes, taxes, loans, etc.)
- Inability for men to find women to date, marry, and/or have sexual relations with (although usually temporary, see mail-order brideMail-order brideMail-order bride is a label applied to a woman who publishes her intent to marry someone from another country. This term is considered offensive by some people. The mail-order bride industry is the economic trade of contracted domestic partnerships, often between citizens of different countries or...
).
Net immigration
The United States is a net immigration country; this fact means that there are more people arriving to the U.S. than those leaving the country. Many of the emigrants from the United States do not plan to become permanent emigrants, but to be expatriateExpatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s (expats) for a limited amount of time. There is a scarcity of official records in this domain. Given the high dynamics of the emigration-prone groups, emigration from United States remains indiscernible from temporary country leave.
As of 2009, there are over 6 million non-military U.S. citizens living abroad., an increase from the 4 million estimated in 1999. However, these numbers are highly open to dispute as they often are unverified and can change rapidly.
Overseas US populations
The list below is of the main 40 countries hosting American populations (part-time US resident Americans and expatriates alike).- - over 1,000,000
Canada - 700,000- - 224,000
Germany - 211,000
IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
- 185,000
Italy - 170 to 200,000- - 126,000 (Mainland China: 66,000, Hong Kong: 60,000)
- - 105,000
- - 103,000
Early Modern France - 102,000- - 98,000 up to 350,000 (See also ConfederadosConfederadosThe Confederados are an ethnic sub-group in Brazil descended from some 10,000 Confederate Americans who immigrated chiefly to the area of the city of São Paulo, Brazil after the American Civil War...
, descendants of post-war Confederate settlers in Brazil) 
Spain - 95,000
Dominican Republic - 82,000- - 71,000
South Korea - 67,000
Costa Rica - 9,128 to 50,000
Republic of Ireland - 38,000- - 38,000
Belgium - 36,000
Saudi Arabia - 36,000
Switzerland - 32,000
Poland - 31 to 60,000
Lebanon - 25,000
Panama - 25,000
Sweden - 18 to 26,000- - 17,748
Netherlands - 17,000
Colombia - 15,000 to 45,000 
Austria 15,000
Hungary - 15,000
Norway - 15,000
Singapore - 15,000
Russia - at least 2,008 up to 6,200
Argentina - 10,552
Portugal - 10 to 20,000
Malaysia - 8,000
Pakistan - 5,000
Syria - n/a (in the 1975 Encyclopedia Britannica, 2.5% of Syrians reportedly have dual U.S.-Syrian citizenship) 
Chile - n/a (see North Americans in Chile)
India - n/a est. 10 to 15,000
See also
- Immigration to the United StatesImmigration to the United StatesImmigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
- American Canadians
- American Mexicans
- American BrazilianAmerican BrazilianAn American Brazilian is a Brazilian person of full, partial or predominant North American ancestry, or a US–born person immigrant in Brazil.The Confederados are a cultural sub-group in the nation of Brazil...
s - Americans in the United KingdomAmericans in the United KingdomAmericans in the United Kingdom includes Britons born to American parents or parents with American citizenship, people from the United States who are or have become residents or citizens of the United Kingdom as well as Britons granted American citizenship....
- American AustralianAmerican AustralianAmerican Australians are Australians who are either born in, or descended from migrants from the United States and its territories. This can include people of European, African American, American Indian, Latin American, Asian, or Pacific Islander backgrounds....
s