In 2015, the United Nations recorded 244 million international migrants, who are now part of the economies and societies they live in. People leave their country for a ton of different reasons (work, health, family, etc.), but they seem to have similar destination preferences. The United States hosts the largest number of international migrants (47 million), followed by Germany, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Expat.com, the informative and interactive website for life abroad, is revealing the most popular expat destinations among its members — before looking into where American expats head to.
Top 10 destinations for international expats
The top 10 countries where the expat members of Expat.com are currently residing in order of popularity are: Saudi Arabia (18,197), UAE (11,495), France (8,615), Spain (6,871), China (5,634), Vietnam (5,485), England (5,439), USA (5,247), Germany (4,679), and Canada (2,788). The primary reason for these people leaving their home country, and moving to one of the countries mentioned above is work and entrepreneurship.
A majority of 95% of the total Expat.com expats in Saudi Arabia have moved to the country either because they hold a contract of employment, or are entrepreneurs and self-employed. The expats in the UAE are equally work oriented, with 95% being in the country to serve a contract or develop their own business. France (70%), Spain (68%), China (77%), Vietnam (83%), England (73%), Germany (68%), and Canada (75%) — all follow the same pattern of expats who are there to accomplish their career goals.
Expat.com's top 10 countries aren't particularly attractive to retirees, but definitely some are doing better than others when it comes to engaging with the older population. The year-round sunshine, the laid back life, and the low cost of living in Spain are definitely more appealing to retirees than the polluted air of China and the restrictions that come from the socialist state.
France, Germany, and England are the most popular destinations among the student and trainee expats of Expat.com. These European countries come as no surprise on the top of the education list, as they are well-known for their first-class higher education and historic universities, such as École Normale Supérieure, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and Oxbridge.
American expats: Where do they live?
The United States of America is at the moment the country with the largest number of international migrants — 19% of the world's migrant population has moved to the United States, as per the United Nation's latest data. But Americans themselves aren't immune to migration, movement, and expatriation. So, when Americans in their turn decide to leave the motherland, where do they move to?
There are three million Americans currently living abroad according to the UN. The most appealing countries to American expats are: Mexico (876k), Canada (343k), the United Kingdom (212k), Puerto Rico (165k), Germany (137k), and Australia (110k).
Mexico, which hosts 29% of the total American population abroad, wins Americans' hearts for several reasons. It's close to the American borders, which also implies that the culture, although very different, is familiar. At the same time, Americans already know that in Mexico they will join the flock of other American expats with plenty of experiences, advices, and occasionally weeping to share. Mexico is also appreciated for its high quality and personalised healthcare that costs much less than in the neighbouring country.
Canada — the second most popular destination among American expats — gets many important things right, making it hard to resist to its friendly lifestyle and beautiful surroundings. The liberal government, advanced economy, technological advancement, prestigious education, inclusive healthcare, respectful position towards parenthood — are all valid reasons to move to Canada. And to top it off, Canada holds the world's second best reputation, according to Reputation Institute's 2016 Country Reputation Trak.
Kevin, an American Expat.com member in Montreal, says: “I admire the greater Montreal area that's focused on family activities. It's a much safer environment to raise a family. Also diversity of nationalities is very appealing including the various cuisines."
The United Kingdom and Germany aren't only Europe's very powerful countries with strong bonds with America, but their cities of London and Frankfurt are among the globally recognised financial centres. So, it's almost natural that when American expats head to Europe, their first choice is either the United Kingdom or Germany. But the two countries also have a rich culture, and their airports are international hubs that give easy access to the rest of the world — which make it all more attractive for American expats.
