Britons live 100 miles from birthplace on average, says history site

BRITONS live an average of 100 miles from where they were born, with many moving for a job or better quality of life, new research has revealed.

Scotland and Wales are among the top places people move away from, while London is the leading city for “internal migrants”.

The capital also has one of the highest number of people moving away, highlighting the transient nature of its population, said family history site Ancestry.

Its survey of 2,000 adults showed a huge shift in people prepared to leave their home area compared with 25 years ago. The previous generation lived just five miles from where they were born on average, compared with 100 miles now, the study showed.

Other reasons for leaving home included remaining in a university area, or wanting to live in the country.

More than two-thirds of those who move say they will not return.

The survey showed that half of Britons live somewhere different from where they were born, while most of those who stay say they want to be close to their family.

Brad Argent, of Ancestry, said: “Immigration is something that we hear a lot about, but lesser known is the fascinating trend of people moving around within their own country, which has seen a huge increase in the UK over the past few decades.

“With people moving around the country more and more, it means many have a deep sense of belonging to places which may not only be different from where they live, but even places that they’ve never been to.”