(Nexstar) – Want to get away for a long time? You and thousands of other people, apparently.
Expatsi, an online resource for Americans considering moving abroad, recently published the results of a 2024 study that voted over 116,000 Americans on the country they would like to move to if they choose to live abroad.
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Participants all claimed to be considering overseas moves, but were asked why they wanted to leave, their budget, their medical bill payment plans, and their freedom they wanted to maintain/enjoy. They were also quizzed about their preferences for things like climate, proximity to the city, proximity to the ocean, or language they sought to learn among other factors.
Based on their responses, Expatsi ratings recommended an ideal overseas location for each participant. And in most cases, its proposed locale was Portugal, recommended by 48% of participants, followed by France with 46% and Spain at 44%. (Expatsi’s survey suggested “top 10” for all participants.)
Portugal (48%) France (46%) Spain (44%) Greece (44%) Switzerland (43%) Austria (40%) Luxembourg (38%) Belgium (35%) Slovenia (34%) Norway (33%)
The Expatsi report does not reveal which metrics, specifically the ones owned by Portugal (or other top-level recommendations), are extremely attractive to Americans trying to escape. However, foreigners currently living in Portugal tend to enjoy relatively affordable housing and healthcare, mild climate and low crime rates, according to international life, which recently ranked Portugal as the second best place to retire on the annual Global Retirement Index. (Panama was the first.)
In the survey, Expatsi asked participants fully which country they wanted to move to, and Portugal was once again the top spot, with 11% of all participants backing. (Spain and the UK closed out the top three, with 10% and 8% of participants being named the biggest options.)
On Monday, July 3, 2023, a group of foreigners pass by Gloria founcular while waiting to depart the downhill in Lisbon. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Many Americans are actually moving towards Portugal as well. According to Forbes, between 2017 and 2022, Portugal’s American foreign population rose by almost 240% to around 10,000. And Americans continue to grow interested in moving to Portugal, particularly after the 2024 US presidential election, according to the founder of Portugal Pathways, which supports relocation and visa applications. (In fact, Expatsi saw interest spikes from voters in July and November 2024, once again after the election, after the first Biden Trump debate.)
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However, despite the high interest in Portugal from future foreigners, most Americans continue to get much closer to their homes when they actually move. A report cited by the American Association of Overseas Association (AARO) shows that the largest percentage of US expatriates live in Mexico and Canada, with estimates ranging from about 1.5 million to 2 million between the two countries. (One estimate shows that Mexico is slightly more than Canada.)
In both cases, American expatriates still living in North America account for the majority of the total estimates of US citizens living abroad. Aaro cites calculations for 2022 and 2023, and is estimated at between 4.4 million and 5.5 million, not including members of the military or their families. Another estimate from the American citizens overseas, overseas, from 2022, has brought that figure to around 5.1 million, despite including military personnel.
The US State Department does not provide more specific figures about foreign citizens, pointing to the fluctuating nature of Americans traveling or relocating at any time. According to a State Department spokesman, US embassies abroad are trying to maintain a rough tally, but nothing clear.
Those who dressed up Captain Jack Sparrow of “Pirates of the Caribbean” will pilot tourists and tuk tuks on August 9, 2024, past the Sintra landmark in Portugal. (AP Photo/Ana brigida)
Meanwhile, Americans still hoping to move to Portugal may be wise to check if their preferred neighborhood is already too saturated with fellow immigrants and tourists.
“Porto is no longer a city, it’s a tourist destination,” one person argued in a recent Reddit debate, making a similar claim about the Portuguese cities of Lisbon and the Algarve.
“I’m wondering why Portugal is so popular with foreigners,” continued Reddit user. “Maybe 10-20 years ago when everything was real and inexpensive?”
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