Migrant Brits

From the Daily Mail by Matt Chorley from UN statistics:

- United Nations report shows a record 232million people are living outside country where they were born worldwide

- More than 5million people born in the UK have emigrated, a quarter flying halfway round the world to live in Australia

- Top 10 countries for Brits abroad includes USA, Canada, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Germany and Italy

- There are also 7.8million immigrants living in the UK, the fifth highest number of any country in the world

The number of Britons living abroad has soared in the last decade to top 5million for the first time.

Official data from the United Nations reveals where people born in the UK have chosen to settle, with a quarter emigrants jetting halfway around the world to live in Australia and four settling in San Marino.

A league table of immigrants also shows the UK has the fifth highest number of foreigners of any country in the world.

Official data from the United Nations reveals where the 5million Britons who have emigrated have chosen to settle

Cheap flights, more open borders and the need to find work in the wake of the financial crash mean more people live outside the country they were born in than ever before.

Last year a total of 232million people, or 3.2 per cent of the world’s total population, had moved to live in another country.

In 2000 the figure was only 175 million and just 154 million in 1990.

The total number of Brits living abroad rose 23 per cent from 4.1million in 1990 to 5million 2013.

Australia was the most popular destination, with 1.277million expats, well ahead of the US where 758,919 Britons live and Canada, home to 674,371.

Spain remains the most popular European country to live in for Brits, followed by Ireland, Germany and Italy.

The biggest increases in emigration from the UK were mostly to eastern Europe, including countries which have since joined the European Union.

It includes a huge leap in the numbers in Slovakia, up from 34 to 4,276 in 13 years.

There were also large rises in the numbers in Bulgaria (up 5,000 per cent), Romania (1,240 per cent), Czech Republic (1,170 per cent), Latvia (1,116 per cent), Hungary (1,019 per cent) and Poland (892 per cent).

Europe remains the most popular destination region with 72 million international migrants in 2013, compared to 71 million in Asia, the UN said. Despite there being almost 200 countries in the world, half of all immigration takes place into just 10 countries – including the UK.

While 5million Britons live abroad, there are almost 3million more immigrants living in the UK.

The US was home to the most immigrants anywhere in the world, with 45.8 million people, followed by Russia (11 million), Germany (9.8million), Saudi Arabia (9.1 million) and United Arab Emirates (7.8 million).

Despite being the country ranked 80th in the world by size, the UK was home to the joint fifth highest number of immigrants with 7.8 million, just head of France (7.4 million), Canada (7.3 million), Australia (6.5 million); and Spain (6.5 million).

The government has come under pressure to do more to tackle immigration.

The figures come from the UN’s Trends in International Migrant Stock report. Speaking at its launch, Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said: 

Migration, when governed fairly, can make a very important contribution to social and economic development both in the countries of origin and in the countries of destination.

Migration broadens the opportunities available to individuals and is a crucial means of broadening access to resources and reducing poverty.