If you have started to think seriously about living abroad, you have probably noticed two things. Everyone seems to know someone who has gone. And every article has a confident league table of where they all went.
The first impression is right. The league tables deserve more caution. This guide sets out what the official figures actually say, where they stop, and what we see from the inside as a company that moves households overseas every week.
Quick answer: The Office for National Statistics estimates that 246,000 British nationals emigrated in the year to December 2025, and 110,000 moved back, a net outflow of 136,000. About two-thirds of those leaving are aged 16 to 34. The ONS does not publish figures for where British nationals move to, so destination rankings you see elsewhere are estimates from other sources. The countries we move most households to are listed below.
How many people are leaving the UK?
According to the ONS’s provisional long-term migration estimates, published in May 2026:
- 246,000 British nationals left the UK in the year ending December 2025, slightly down from 257,000 the year before.
- 110,000 British nationals returned, down from 140,000.
- The difference, a net outflow of 136,000, has been broadly stable.
The ONS describes emigration by British nationals as broadly stable in recent years. It is worth knowing that the way these numbers are produced changed in late 2025, and the ONS has said its earlier method understated British emigration considerably. So some of the “record numbers leaving” headlines reflect better counting as much as a change in behaviour.
Who is leaving?
Mostly younger adults. Around two-thirds of British emigrants are aged 16 to 34, and that is also the group where the gap between people leaving and people returning is widest: about 75,000 more left than came back in 2025, a gap that has grown each year since 2022.
That matches what we see. A large share of our enquiries come from people in their late twenties and thirties moving for work, often with a one or two-bedroom home’s worth of belongings. Families with school-age children and people retiring abroad are fewer in number, but they tend to move a whole household and plan much further ahead.
Where are they going? The honest answer
Here is the part most articles skip. The ONS does not produce estimates of where British nationals move to. It cannot see other governments’ records, so it counts people out without recording a destination.
What does exist is United Nations data on where British-born people currently live. That is a running total built up over decades, not a count of who moved last year. On that measure, the ONS notes:
- Australia has by far the largest British-born population, around 1.1 million.
- Spain has roughly 280,000 to 295,000.
- More than 70 countries, including Germany and Singapore, are missing from the UN dataset altogether.
So when you read that a precise percentage of Brits moved to a particular country last year, ask where the figure came from. It may be a survey, a visa count from one country, or a removal company’s own bookings. All are useful. None is an official national statistic.
Where we actually move people
We can speak for our own customers. These are the destinations Gerson Moving Services moves the most households to from the UK, in groups rather than a ranking.
| Group | Destinations | How your belongings travel |
|---|---|---|
| Long-haul, English-speaking | USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa | Sea freight in a dedicated or shared container; weeks, not days. Customs paperwork is detailed and, for Australia and New Zealand, includes biosecurity inspection |
| Europe by road | Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Switzerland | Road freight, usually days to a fortnight. Since Brexit, every move is a customs import, with duty relief for people genuinely moving home |
| Gulf and South Asia | United Arab Emirates, India | Sea freight; the Gulf is one of the quicker long-distance routes. Visa status at arrival matters for customs |
A few examples from our own guides give a sense of scale:
- USA: a two to three-bedroom home typically costs £6,000 to £12,000 and takes three to six weeks by sea. See .
- Switzerland: by road, £1,500 to £5,500 depending on home size, in 3 to 14 days. It is outside the EU, so full customs clearance applies. See .
- UAE: a dedicated container to Dubai is typically £3,500 to £6,000 and three to five weeks door to door. See .
- Germany: a one-bedroom flat is around £2,500 to £3,000 by road. See .
Our cover each destination in detail, and the explains what drives the price.
What this means if you are deciding where to go
Popularity is a poor guide to what is right for you. Three practical questions matter more.
Can you get the right to live there? For most of Europe that now means a visa or residence permit arranged in advance. Our guide to compares the routes.
What will the move itself involve? A road move to France and a sea move to New Zealand are very different in cost, timing and how long you will be without your belongings. That often shapes what people decide to take.
Who is moving? A single professional, a family with children and a couple retiring abroad need different things from a destination. See our guides for and for .
When do people move?
Summer is the busiest season, driven by school terms. Autumn is when most of next year’s moves are researched. If you are aiming for January or spring, now is a sensible time to get a survey and a price, while there is still a wide choice of dates. Our guide to goes through the trade-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many British people emigrate each year?
The ONS estimates that 246,000 British nationals left the UK in the year ending December 2025 and 257,000 the year before. The figures are provisional and are revised as more data becomes available.
Which country do most British people move to?
There is no official annual figure, because the ONS does not record destinations. On United Nations data for where British-born people live, Australia has the largest population, around 1.1 million, followed at some distance by Spain. Among our own customers, the USA, Australia, Canada and several European countries account for a large share of moves.
Are more people leaving the UK than before?
Net emigration of British nationals has been broadly stable in recent years at around 136,000 a year. Reported figures rose sharply in late 2025 mainly because the ONS changed its method and concluded that earlier estimates were too low.
What age are most people who move abroad from the UK?
About two-thirds are aged 16 to 34. Older movers, including families and retirees, are fewer in number but usually move a full household.
Is it harder to move to Europe since Brexit?
It takes more planning. You generally need a visa or residence permit to live in an EU country, and your belongings go through customs, although people moving home can usually import used household goods free of duty with the right paperwork.
How far ahead should I start planning?
For a sea move, three to six months is comfortable. For a road move within Europe, two to three months is usually enough. Visa timing is often the real constraint, so start there.
Related Topics
Thinking about joining them?
You do not need to have decided everything to have a useful conversation. Tell a move manager where you are considering and when, and they will give you a realistic picture of what the move involves, so you can weigh it up with real numbers.
