Brits wait until retirement to move abroad

Image source: CreativeCommons/Tax Credits

The findings of this year’s Expat Explorer survey reveals that while expats worldwide are typically drawn at a younger age by tempting job prospects and higher salaries, the opposite is true of British expats. 38% of British expats are aged over 55 compared to just a fifth worldwide, showing that Brits tend to wait until they are that bit older before they make the move abroad.

On the contrary the UK itself is popular with middle-aged expats and nearly half of UK inpats (those moving to the UK to live and work) are aged 35-54. UK-based expats are primarily from Ireland and the USA followed by those from Australia, South Africa and India. 

But, while Australians may be drawn to the UK, Australia also exerts a strong pull on Brits. Despite being on the other side of the world, Australia is the top location for British expats, while the UAE is the most popular Middle Eastern destination, hosting one in ten of all UK expats globally.

Once British expats have flown the nest, they are unlikely to return. Of all expats interviewed for the survey, almost half wanted to move back to their country for retirement, whereas just under a quarter of British expats wanted to return to the UK to retire. Instead, British expats found the sunnier climes of Spain and France more appealing.

Find out how your country fares on our interactive tool.