This is the best list I have seen: The World’s Easiest Citizenships and Passports for 2024 (nomadcapitalist.com)
Generally, for most people, you need either:
- Be young, right work skills, job offer – can lead to work/residency and eventual citizenship
- Have the right ancestry – which may entitle you to a right of descent residency or citizenship in some countries
- Marry someone from the country – not a guarantee but smooths the process
- Make a large investment (can range from about $100k to $10M depending on the country) and receive a residency visa
- Be hyper super skilled (Nobel prize winner), famous Actor/Actress
Except for right of ancestry (which is a privilege only some have) or investment visa (you are wealthy), most Americans cannot easily move to another country and obtain residency or citizenship.
There are some exceptions that are easier or more welcoming to Americans or American retirees (such as Mexico and Ecuador).
At the bottom line, it is not easy for most Americans – who lack right of descent ancestry or wealth – to migrate to other countries.
For this reason, in spite of the numerous fake news stories, very few Americans move abroad, and perhaps less than 1% retire abroad – perhaps half of those had prior dual citizenship or other family connections.