A growing number of younger American women are picturing their future somewhere other than the U.S. — and they're doing so at levels we aren't seeing in other wealthy countries. New Gallup data shows just how quickly this shift has taken place and how different it looks compared to a decade ago.
A Sharp Rise in the Desire to Move Abroad
According to Gallup, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 now say they would move abroad permanently if they could. Ten years ago, that number was just 10%. In other words, the share has quadrupled, and it's grown faster than it has for any other age or gender group.
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Younger men are also more interested in living abroad than they used to be, but nowhere near the same pace. Today, there's a 21-point gap between younger men and women, the widest Gallup has ever recorded for the U.S. or any other country since it began asking this question.
This rise didn't happen overnight. Gallup first noticed a clear uptick around 2016, and the trend kept growing during both the Trump and Biden years. That suggests something bigger is going on than just reactions to one president or one political moment.
Other Wealthy Nations Aren't Seeing the Same Trend
What makes the U.S. stand out is that this surge isn't happening elsewhere. Across the 38 wealthiest countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the percentage of younger women who say they would like to migrate has stayed fairly steady, usually between 20% and 30%, according to Gallup.
Back in the early 2010s, younger American women were actually less likely than women in other wealthy countries to want to move away. But since 2016, that flipped — and young U.S. women have been consistently more likely to imagine living abroad.
As for where they'd go, Canada remains the top pick. Other popular choices include New Zealand, Italy, and Japan.
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Politics and Trust in Institutions Play a Role
Age and gender explain part of the story. But Gallup's data also shows that politics matters. In 2025, Americans who disapprove of the country's leadership were 25% more likely to say they want to leave than those who approve — one of the biggest gaps ever recorded on this question.
Younger women also report a significant drop in confidence in major U.S. institutions. Their trust in the government, the courts, the military, and the honesty of elections has fallen more sharply than it has for any other demographic group over the past decade. For example, Gallup reports that younger women's confidence in the judicial system dropped from 55% in 2015 to just 32% in 2025.
Events like the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade may have contributed to this decline, but Gallup states that the trend of wanting to leave began well before that ruling.
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Marriage and Parenthood Don't Seem to Slow the Trend
In many countries, people without kids or who aren't married are usually more open to the idea of moving abroad. But Gallup's latest data suggests younger American women feel this way regardless of their family situation.
About 41% of married women and 45% of single women under 45 say they would move abroad permanently if they could. Women with children at home also show a similar level of interest.
A Generational Shift Taking Shape
Overall, the desire among younger American women to leave the U.S. has grown faster and further than it has for almost anyone else — and more than women in other wealthy nations. Whether most of them will actually move is uncertain, but it's clear this generation is thinking differently about the future and where they want to build their lives.
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