FWIW,there is an entire system of statistics of rare events, which (probably) would show that the increase in abandonment of citizenship are “significant,” and worthy of further study.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_distribution for example.
For example, the U.S. adds one international migrant (net) every 36 seconds. Immigrants account for one in 8 U.S. residents, the highest level in more than 90 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13. In a decade, it will be one in 7, the highest it has been in our history. And by 2050, one in 5 residents of the U.S. will be foreign-born.
Perhaps our growing immigrant population will result in some wishing to return back to their home country. We recognize dual nationality, but perhaps their home country does not forcing them to make this decision.
One would have to analyze who is in the 1,800 and see where they came from, their age, their income, etc. At this point, I see these data as virtually meaningless.
I would have to agree with you. If you take the net worth of those former American citizens and look at it in the long term it will have a serious effect on the USA’s bottom line.
If the trend continues to increase then the effect becomes more obvious over the short term.