More than 5 million British expats have left to live in other countries, according to detailed figures from the United Nations.
At least one in four now live in Australia, but the big mystery is why the savage regime in North Korea list 294 British expat residents.
Becoming an expat is a lifestyle choice and many can see the benefits of moving to Warmer climes where the economy is upwardly mobile, like Australia.
But why anyone would want to be subject to a sometimes brutal and often austere life under the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un in North Korea is baffling.
According to the United Nations report, the number of Brits fleeing the country has increased by 23% between 1990 and 2013, when the latest official figures were last available.
Popular expat destinations
The study reveals the most popular places for expats as:
- Australia (1.27 million)
- United States (758,919)
- Canada (674,371)
- Spain (381,000)
- New Zealand (314,000)
- Ireland (254,000)
- Germany (97,000)
- Italy (72,000)
The rest are spread across more than 120 countries – mostly in Europe or nations with Commonwealth links to the United Kingdom.
Other countries to see large increases in British expat populations are Slovakia, where the number has risen from just 34 to 4,276 since 2000.
Others include:
- India (756,000)
- Poland (661,000)
- Pakistan (476,000)
- Ireland (413,000)
Besides those living in North Korea, other less democratic states with large numbers of British expats include eccentric dictator Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe giving a home to 16,000 expats and China, where 13,000 British expats live.
Reasons for moving
Overall, in 2013 around 3.2% of the world’s population had moved a country – which adds up to 232 million people. The United Nations research logged the number of expats as 154 million in 1990.
Europe is the favourite expat destination, where one in three of 72 million foreigners have put down their roots after moving from their home nation.
Migration expert Professor Ronald Skeldon, of Sussex University explained that expats have many reasons for moving.
“From richer countries, often the weather or economic reasons are behind their departure,” he said. “But from Africa and Asia, the objectives are often education, jobs, wealth and freedom from oppression or persecution.”
He also argues that cheaper air travel and more willingness to accept expats in many developed Western countries spurs is giving many expats the chance to move countries and improve their lives.
