Australia is the most popular destination in the world for British expatriates according to figures released by the Home Office.
According he data, which was based on information from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) from the ONS, 149,000 citizens left the U.K. in 2011 with plans to remain overseas for at least one year. The majority of those relocating were doing so for work purposes to fill a position that they had already secured (50,000) or to look for work abroad (30,000). Of the remaining expats, the majority were going abroad for education purposes or were retiring overseas.
The statistics, which were based in information from the ONS, which tracks migration from the UK and the reasons for it, show that the number of people who are leaving the United Kingdom to live overseas on a medium to long-term basis has actually reduced in recent years, from its height of 207,000 in 2006.
It is estimated that a total of 4.7 million UK citizens currently live abroad.
Top 10 destinations for UK expats
| Destination | Number of UK Expats | Of which retirees |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1,062,000 | 251,000 |
| USA | 829,000 | 140,000 |
| Spain | 808,000 | 104,000 |
| Canada | 608,000 | 157,000 |
| Ireland | 289,000 | 126,000 |
| France | 253,000 | 57,000 |
| New Zealand | 248,000 | 54,000 |
| South Africa | 219,000 | 38,000 |
| Germany | 97,000 | 39,000 |
| UAE | 65,000 | 680 |
Source: IPPR, DWP.
