# Top 5 Countries in descending order of American expatriate population? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915 "2014-12-11T03:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/21 "2014-12-12T20:33:20Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Or Accidental Americans like my old workmate. He was born in DC to a world bank worker and went back to Israel when he was 1. Next time he went to the US was on a work meeting and we found out that he had been turned back because his passport said born in the US. Huh? Why would that be? Wouldn’t “Born in the USA” automatically make it impossible for the USA to refuse him entry? he could even run for president. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/22 "2014-12-12T20:56:27Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Huh? Why would that be? Wouldn’t “Born in the USA” automatically make it impossible for the USA to refuse him entry? he could even run for president. It depends. If they feel he renounced his American citizenship, it can tighten up the rules for him. It’s a law designed to prevent people from taking citizenship in some other country and renouncing their American citizenship for tax reasons while they continue to more or less permanently reside in the United States. The law restricts how much time a renounced citizen can be in the United States. This creates the ironic situation where a person who was never an American citizen might be able to enter the United States while a former American citizen cannot. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/23 "2014-12-12T22:19:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It depends. If they feel he renounced his American citizenship, it can tighten up the rules for him. It’s a law designed to prevent people from taking citizenship in some other country and renouncing their American citizenship for tax reasons while they continue to more or less permanently reside in the United States. The law restricts how much time a renounced citizen can be in the United States. This creates the ironic situation where a person who was never an American citizen might be able to enter the United States while a former American citizen cannot. Yes, the limit is 30 days per year; 60 if travelling for an “unrelated employer”. It sounded from the post that his was his first visit to the USA and did not sound like he had renounced his citizenship. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/24 "2014-12-12T22:24:04Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Huh? Why would that be? Wouldn’t “Born in the USA” automatically make it impossible for the USA to refuse him entry? he could even run for president. American citizens (which he would be, since he was born in the USA) are required to enter the US using an American passport. I presume, although **AK84** didn’t state explicitly, that he was using an Israeli passport. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/25 "2014-12-13T03:53:31Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > thanks for the quick reply. I was surprised by Philippines being third. What are the reasons for this ? Filipinos are the fourth largest US immigrant group, behind only Mexico, China and India. It’s not uncommon for Filipino-Americans to move back and forth between the US and the Philippines pretty regylarly. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/26 "2014-12-15T16:31:51Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I’m surprise Thailand isn’t on the Wikipedia list. > [@jharvey963](#): > > Thailand isn’t mentioned at all in that Wikipedia article. I wonder if it is an oversight, or if Thailand doesn’t conform to the “ex-pat” definition? Perhaps Thailand allows some form of long term residency that is different than the ex-pat definition? This is just a WAG, however. > > J. Hey! Don’t give anyone any ideas! There are already too many farangs (Westerners) living here. :mad: There are quite a few Americans here, but really, most farangs I encounter are European or Aussie/Kiwi. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/27 "2014-12-15T18:33:59Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > One is they speak English. Two there’s significant US military presence in a country with lower cost of living than the US. There’s a significant miltary retiree expat community who’ve lived there before due to assignments. Another possible factor: Fillipinos are predominantly Christian, so there wouldn’t be the same level of culture shock as if you moved to, say, the Middle East. > [@Siam Sam](#): > > There are quite a few Americans here, but really, most farangs I encounter are European or Aussie/Kiwi. Yeah, Thailand is really much more of a “thing” for Europeans & Australians than for Americans. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/28 "2014-12-16T21:21:35Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > American citizens (which he would be, since he was born in the USA) are required to enter the US using an American passport. I presume, although **AK84** didn’t state explicitly, that he was using an Israeli passport. Interesting. I did not know that, thanks. I wasn’t aware that US citizens could be denied entry into their own country. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/29 "2014-12-17T03:04:59Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Yeah, Thailand is really much more of a “thing” for Europeans & Australians than for Americans. Proximity has a lot to do with it too. Thailand’s even farther than the Philippines, much closer for Europeans and Aussies. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/30 "2014-12-17T14:40:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Proximity has a lot to do with it too. Thailand’s even farther than the Philippines, much closer for Europeans and Aussies. Yeah. I could be wrong, but I’m thinking that going to Thailand for an Aussie is pretty much equivalent to an American going to Cancun. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/31 "2014-12-17T16:05:36Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Yeah. I could be wrong, but I’m thinking that going to Thailand for an Aussie is pretty much equivalent to an American going to Cancun. It’s 4,500 miles from Sydney to Bangkok. Even Portland to Cancun is half that distance, so it’s a bit more of a trek. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/32 "2014-12-18T01:34:39Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > It’s 4,500 miles from Sydney to Bangkok. > > Even Portland to Cancun is half that distance, so it’s a bit more of a trek. Yes, but it’s a long way from Sydney to pretty well _anywhere_ that’s outside Australia. Thailand is definitely considered foreign-but-nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915/33 "2014-12-18T16:24:02Z")
All I know is it seems like you can’t swing a cat by the tail in Bangkok without hitting an Aussie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-countries-in-descending-order-of-american-expatriate-population/706915.md?page=1)