The Top 100 British Expat Destinations

Top 100 Most Popular Expat Destinations

Over 5 million Brits live abroad or about 1 in 10 of the entire British population. Many are posted abroad by their companies. Most are looking for sunnier climates.

Outside of the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories, the largest proportions of people of self-identified ethnic British descent in the world are found in New Zealand (59%), Australia (46%) and Canada (31%), followed by a considerably smaller minority in the United States (12%) and parts of the Caribbean.

The estimate of Bristish Americans is a serious undercount as almost 50 million Americans (25% of the population in the 1980 US census) claimed English or part-English ancestry; 20-35 million have Scots, Scots-Irish and Welsh ancestry.^[ The British ancestry is most often hidden within the category ‘American.’

Hong Kong has the highest proportion of British citizens outside of the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories, with 47% of Hong Kong residents holding a British National (Overseas) citizenship or a British citizenship.

Top 100 Destinations for Brits Abroad

In 2006, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a British think tank, published a report on the British diaspora, entitled Brits Abroad. The following table lists the estimated number of British people (defined as people who are British Subjects, such as British citizen, British National Overseas or British Overseas Citizen) living overseas in countries with more than 100 British people, according to the IPPR’s report .

Australia was the clear winner with over 1 million Brits choosing Australia as its home.

In Europe, Spain is the clear winner with three quarters of a million people claiming Spain as their new home.

In North America, it is split evenly, with over 600,00 Brits living in Canada & another 670,000 in the USA.

In Africa, over 200,000 Brits call South Africa home whilst over 55,000 Brits live in Dubai in the Middle East.

Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand & China are fighting for the top spot for British expats living in Asia.

Barbados & Jamaica are the two favourite spots in the Caribbean, followed by Trinidad & Tobago.

South America is not a well travelled spot for Brits with only 11,000 Brits living in Brazil. Argentina & Venezuela take the 2nd & 3rd spots.

Rank	Country	Number of British residents, 2006	Region(s)
1	Australia	1,300,000	Asia Pacific
2	Spain	761,000	Europe
3	United States	678,000	North America
4	Canada	603,000	North America
5	Ireland	291,000	Europe
6	New Zealand	215,000	Asia Pacific
7	South Africa	212,000	Africa
8	France	200,000	Europe
9	Germany	115,000	Europe
10	Portugal	60,000	Europe
11	Cyprus	59,000	Mid East
12	UAE	55,000	Mid East
13	Pakistan	47,000	Asia
14	Singapore	45,000	Asia Pacific
15	Switzerland	45,000	Europe
16	Israel	44,000	Mid East
17	Netherlands	44,000	Europe
18	Thailand	41,000	Asia Pacific
19	China (including Hong Kong)	36,000note	Asia Pacific
20	Turkey	34,000	Eur/Mid East
21	India	32,000	Asia
22	Kenya	29,000	Africa
23	Belgium	28,000	Europe
24	Barbados	27,000	Caribbean
25	Saudi Arabia	26,000	Mid East
26	Italy	26,000	Europe
27	Jamaica	25,000	Caribbean
28	Japan	23,000	Asia Pacific
29	Sweden	18,000	Europe
30	Greece	18,000	Europe
31	Nigeria	16,000	Africa
32	Norway	15,000	Europe
33	Egypt	14,000	Africa
34	Philippines	14,000	Asia Pacific
35	Malaysia	13,000	Asia Pacific
36	Trinidad and Tobago	11,000	Caribbean
37	Brazil	11,000	South America
38	Bahrain	11,000	Mid East
39	Gaza & West Bank	11,000	Mid East
40	Indonesia	11,000	Asia Pacific
41	Denmark	11,000	Europe
42	Bangladesh	9,200	Asia
43	Malta	9,000	Europe
44	Mexico	8,500	North America
45	Austria	8,500	Europe
46	Argentina	8,300	South America
47	Qatar	8,100	Mid East
48	Oman	7,800	Mid East
49	Malawi	7,400	Africa
50	Venezuela	7,200	South America
51	Jordan	7,200	Mid East
52	Kuwait	7,100	Mid East
53	Czech Republic	6,800	Europe
54	Brunei	6,400	Asia Pacific
55	Macao	6,300	Asia Pacific
56	Zimbabwe	6,100	Africa
57	Russia	6,100	Europe
58	Ghana	5,900	Africa
59	Zambia	5,800	Africa
60	Poland	5,600	Europe
61	Tanzania	5,500	Africa
62	Luxembourg	5,500	Europe
63	Chile	5,200	South America
64	Hungary	5,200	Europe
65	Botswana	5,000	Africa
66	Costa Rica	4,800	North America
67	Peru	4,600	South America
68	Romania	4,500	Europe
69	Sri Lanka	4,400	Asia
70	Bahamas	4,100	Caribbean
71	Vietnam	3,800	Asia Pacific
72	Colombia	3,600	South America
73	Libya	3,600	Africa
74	Gibraltar	3,600	Europe
75	Yemen	3,400	Mid East
76	South Korea	3,400	Asia Pacific
77	Iran	2,900	Mid East
78	Antigua/Barbuda	2,800	Caribbean
79	Finland	2,800	Europe
80	Nepal	2,700	Asia
81	Grenada	2,500	Caribbean
82	Uganda	2,500	Africa
83	Ecuador	2,400	South America
84	Morocco	2,400	Africa
85	Azerbaijan	2,400	Europe
86	Swaziland	2,300	Africa
87	Guyana	2,200	South America
88	Lebanon	2,200	Mid East
89	Syria	2,200	Mid East
90	Belize	2,000	North America
91	Sierra Leone	2,000	Africa
92	Iraq	2,000	Mid East
93	Guatemala	1,900	North America
94	Dominica	1,800	Caribbean
95	Netherlands Antilles	1,800	Caribbean
96	Seychelles	1,800	Africa
97	Namibia	1,700	Africa
98	Mauritania	1,600	Africa
99	Serbia-Montenegro	1,600	Europe
100	St Lucia	1,500	Caribbean

What is a Typical British Expat?

Internations did a survey on British expats and here is what they found:

The average British expat doesn’t shy away from new beginnings: from length of stay to friendships with local residents and ease in feeling at home, results are generally far above average.

• 51% are not likely to return to the UK
• British expats are on average 53 years old
• 3% of British expats are independently wealthy
• A quarter of British expats are retirees
• 24% are mostly friends with local residents
• 72% are in a relationship
• 43% earn more abroad than at home
• 8 out of 10 Brits are happier living abroad

Brits Love Living Abroad

Perhaps most impressive is that 37% of British expats from the have been living abroad in their host country for more than ten years — more than ten percentage points above the global average of 24%.

Brits are also more than ten percentage points more likely to feel at home in their new country: three-quarters say they feel at home, compared to only 64% of all survey respondents.

Since so many British expats report feeling at home, it seems hardly surprising that exactly half plan to stay forever (vs. 32% globally). Likewise, more than half (51%) say that it’s not likely they will ever return home to the UK. The British expat is also more satisfied than the average expat: nearly one in five (19%) even say that moving for a better quality of life was a main priority (vs. only 10% globally).

British Expats in Europe

Top 20 Destinations for British Expats in Europe

Spain takes the top spot followed by Ireland, France, Germany & Portugal.

Rank	Country	Number of British residents, 2006	Region(s)
2	Spain	761,000	Europe
5	Ireland	291,000	Europe
8	France	200,000	Europe
9	Germany	115,000	Europe
10	Portugal	60,000	Europe
15	Switzerland	45,000	Europe
17	Netherlands	44,000	Europe
23	Belgium	28,000	Europe
26	Italy	26,000	Europe
29	Sweden	18,000	Europe
30	Greece	18,000	Europe
32	Norway	15,000	Europe
41	Denmark	11,000	Europe
43	Malta	9,000	Europe
45	Austria	8,500	Europe
53	Czech Republic	6,800	Europe
57	Russia	6,100	Europe
60	Poland	5,600	Europe
62	Luxembourg	5,500	Europe
64	Hungary	5,200	Europe
68	Romania	4,500	Europe
74	Gibraltar	3,600	Europe
79	Finland	2,800	Europe
85	Azerbaijan	2,400	Europe
99	Serbia-Montenegro	1,600	Europe
113	Macedonia	950	Europe
115	Iceland	940	Europe
118	Ukraine	900	Europe
119	Croatia	890	Europe
121	Bulgaria	800	Europe
123	Estonia	750	Europe
125	Slovakia	740	Europe
130	Bosnia-Herzegovina	540	Europe
137	Latvia	370	Europe
141	Slovenia	330	Europe
142	Monaco	320	Europe
145	Lithuania	290	Europe
149	Andorra	210	Europe
151	Georgia	200	Europe
153	Albania	190	Europe

How Many British Expats Live in the EU?

1.3 million people born in the UK live in other EU countries, according to 2017 estimates from the United Nations (UN). Around 900,000 UK citizens were long-term residents in other EU countries in 2010 and 2011, according to census data across the EU collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In 2013/14 the UK spent £1.4 billion on state pension payments to recipients living elsewhere in the European Union.

Concerns for British expats living in EU countries

For them, healthcare, pensions, work permit, and free travel in the EU will probably be affected. These issues are currently regulated by EU laws, all based on the fact that EU citizens have the right to reside in any EU country of their choice. Once British expats cease to be EU citizens, their rights will need to be renegotiated.

Currently, EU partners charge the NHS for the costs of treating British pensioners. In 2013/14 the UK paid £580 million to other EEA countries for the treatment of British pensioners resident in the EEA while it received just £12 million from other EEA countries in the same year for the treatment of EEA pensioners in the UK

What Do Europeans Think of Britain Leaving the EU

In the picture below, you can see Europeans’ opinions of whether Britain should leave the EU… it is a resounding no, with the notable exception being the French.

What will happen to British expats living in EU countries?

Thanks to the Vienna Convention of 1969, which states that the termination of a treaty “does not affect any right, obligation or legal situation of the parties created through the execution of the treaty prior to its termination”, British expats already residing in other EU member countries will probably retain their right to do so.

British people who want to move to, work or retire in EU countries after Brexit actually happens will probably also be able to do so. However, as they will already be third-country citizens, administrative procedures for this might become more complicated for them than it is now. For example, obtaining visas will become a lot more troublesome.

The same might be true for EU citizens currently living in, or planning to move to the UK.

Financial Planning for British Expats

Whether you are trying to move to Europe before Brexit or moving elsewhere in the wold, you will need help with financial planning.

Some of the things you will need to think about:

• Setting up a new bank account in your new country
• Transferring money abroad and getting the best exchange rates
• Selling your house in the UK or renting it out
• Keeping your state pension up-to-date with direct debit
• Click here to find out about paying National Insurance Contributions (NICs) whilst abroad
• Moving your pension out of a regulated UK pension scheme and into a regulated pension scheme in Europe
• Moving your pensions and other assets from pounds sterling to euros
• Getting expat health insurance, as many policies do not cover permanent residency overseas
• Getting expat life insurance
• Reorganising your investments into a more tax efficient environment
• Protecting your wealth with trusts or insurance wrappers

Please contact us if you want more information.