More Americans Are Moving to Mexico, Even Though It Could Risk Their Lives

The number of Americans residing in Mexico on a temporary or permanent basis grew by more than 70 percent from 2018 to 2023.

A parachute jumper with a U.S. flag before the start of the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2023. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

OAXACA, Mexico—Though the U.S. Department of State has issued multiple warnings about the high rates of violence in Mexico, and three tourists were recently murdered in Baja California, the number of Americans moving south of the border is surging.

The number of Americans residing in Mexico on a temporary or permanent basis grew by more than 70 percent from 2018 to 2023, with the numbers for 2024 still pending, according to data from the Immigration Policy Unit of the Mexican Secretariat for Home Affairs.