The countries with the most American expats abroad still run through Mexico, Canada and the UK. But European destinations have absorbed a larger share of US emigrants since 2022, and the data sources used to count them tell different stories.

The State Department puts roughly 9 million US citizens abroad. UN migrant stock data, which counts only US-born residents registered locally, says 3.2 million. Both numbers are right. The methodology determines the count.

What follows uses national administrative data where possible, supplemented by Eurostat permits and UN figures.

The countries with the most American expats in 2026

Why these European destinations matter

Mexico, Canada and the UK lead by raw count, but the growth story since 2022 lives in continental Europe. The seven countries below absorbed most new US residency permits issued in the EU last year, each via a distinct pathway.

France: 59,171 Americans

France issued 13,062 first-time residence permits to US nationals in 2024, second-highest in the EU. The pull has shifted toward academic moves driven by federal funding cuts, with Aix-Marseille Université receiving hundreds of applications under its 2025 “Safe Place for Science” program.

Spain: 50,623 Americans and rising fast

Spain was the top EU destination for new American residents in 2024, issuing 15,638 first-time permits to US nationals, a 28.4% jump over 2023. The non-lucrative visa, which requires roughly €28,800 ($31,000) in annual passive income, drives much of the flow alongside the digital nomad visa launched in 2023.

Portugal: 20,959 Americans after a record surge

Portugal’s American resident count nearly tripled from roughly 7,000 in 2020, with US nationals now making up over 30% of all Golden Visa approvals. A pending citizenship reform would extend the residency threshold from five to 10 years, though Portugal’s Constitutional Court partly blocked the bill in late 2025.

Italy: 16,534 registered Americans, far more in practice

Istat counts 16,534 Americans formally registered as residents, with Rome, Milan and Florence leading. Law 74/2025 tightened ancestry-based citizenship eligibility, capping jure sanguinis claims at two generations.

Netherlands: 43,208 Americans

The Netherlands issued 6,732 first-time permits to US nationals in 2024, third-highest in the EU. The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty visa, which lets US entrepreneurs obtain residency on a $4,500 business investment, remains the most accessible pathway.

Sweden: 26,172 Americans

Sweden draws a narrower demographic of tech workers, academics and dual citizens with family ties, and runs no Golden Visa program. The work permit route requires a job offer paying at least SEK 28,480 ($2,720) per month, raised from previous thresholds in 2023.

Greece: 24,748 Americans

Greece’s Golden Visa minimum jumped to €800,000 in Athens, Thessaloniki and Mykonos as of September 2024, up from €250,000. Greece topped a 2026 retirement hot-spot ranking on affordability and healthcare access.

What this tells us about Americans abroad

Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands together absorbed nearly 42,000 new American residents in 2024, per Eurostat, redirecting the post-2020 emigration wave toward EU pathways now tightening or closing.

The bigger problem is measurement. State Department, UN and national registry figures can vary 2x to 5x for the same country. For more, see AE’s Data about Americans moving abroad hub.

World Population Review, American Expats by Country 2026 (UN International Migrant Stock data, 2024)

Sources:

• World Population Review: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/american-expats-by-country
• Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
• Spain INE: https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/CensoVariables2025.htm
• Spain Immigration Observatory: https://www.inclusion.gob.es/oberaxe/en/index.htm
• Istat: https://www.istat.it/en/press-release/demographic-indicators-year-2024/
• The Local Italy: https://www.thelocal.it/20250120/map-which-parts-of-italy-are-most-popular-with-american-residents
• Movingto.com: https://movingto.com
• The Local Spain: https://www.thelocal.es/20250924/revealed-record-number-of-americans-move-to-spain
• AARO: https://aaro.org/living-abroad/how-many-americans-live-abroad