Emigrating Britons shun EU

BRITISH expats are the least likely of any EU migrants to move to another European Union country, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

Just over one in four Uk-born emigrants moved within the EU, including Ireland, compared to almost half of French expats and 44 per cent of German-born emigrants.

UK citizens who opted to live abroad were more likely to settle in the Commonwealth, with the most popular destinations, Australia and New Zealand, chosen by one in three, the ONS data from 2017 shows. The next-most common choices were the US and Canada, where 28 per cent of British migrants settled, with the EU coming in third. Just over five per cent went to Asian countries and 2.5 per cent to Africa.

There were almost five million Ukborn people living abroad last year. Most British people in Europe were of working age, with only one in four aged 65 and over. Spain was most popular, taking in 37 per cent of those Britons who did move within the EU.