Britons head for cheaper and sunnier climes

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by Gill Montia

The Office for National Statistics has published its most recent statistics on Britain’s emigration trends.

In 2006, over 200,000 people left the UK, increasing the total number of people choosing to live overseas between 1997 and 2006 to 1.97 million.

During the same period, around 1.58 million resident foreign nationals also left the country.

The most popular destination for Britons was Australia and many of those leaving were choosing to retire abroad.

The weather, cost of living and property prices are typical reasons given for the decision to emigrate, although high levels of crime and taxation are also cited as motivating factors.

While no figures are available for 2007, the likelihood is that numbers will have increased.

According to an HSBC survey, Britain now has the third highest cost of living for any country in the world.

In addition, the average price of a home in the UK is around £220,000, leaving plenty of scope to buy at less cost abroad.

A trend is emerging whereby Britons who originally purchased investment properties overseas are selling their UK homes to live abroad permanently and a recent poll by financial website, fairinvestment.co.uk, revealed that 44% of the UK’s potential first-time buyers would consider buying their first property abroad.