www.ippr.org

Catherine Drewinstitute for public policy research

CCSR 28 November 2006

Brits Abroad

Mapping the scale and nature of the British diaspora

www.ippr.org

Why is British emigration important?

• Focus has been on immigration not emigration

• Why do we now need to fill this research gap?– Numerically significant…– …and will continue to grow– UK population stocks – comings and

goings– Socio, economic and political implications– UK in contrast to other countries

www.ippr.org

Aim and methodology

• To map the scale and nature of contemporary British emigration

• Methodology– Quantitative– Qualitative (focus groups and interviews

across 14 countries)– Survey data– Blog

www.ippr.org

Emigration flows are rising

Annual international migration flows of British nationals, 1966-2005

Source: IPS and TIM data, ONS

www.ippr.org

Destination countries are changing

Gross emigration of British emigrants, selected destination country, 1975-2004

Source: IPS data, ONS

www.ippr.org

Calculating stocks of Brits abroad

• Previous published estimates range from 3.4 to 14.5 million• Multiple data sources with incomplete coverage and

varying degrees of reliability– Census– UK state pensions (DWP)– Passports issued overseas (FCO)

• Triangulation to estimate British diaspora

• Multiple definitions of Brits abroad

Brits abroad for a year or longer 5,540,000

Including Brits living temporarily overseas 6,050,000

Including people who are eligible for a British passport

13,600,000

Including people who identify as having British ancestry

58,000,000

www.ippr.org

Calculating stocks of Brits abroad

Country

Brits abroad

for a year or

longer

Includingthose wholive abroadfor part ofthe year

Including allthose

eligiblefor a Britishpassport

Including allthose whoidentify ashaving Britishancestry

Australia 1,300,000 1,310,000 2,070,000  

Spain 761,000 990,000 1,070,000  

Singapore 45,000 56,000 56,000  

Netherlands 44,000 48,000 48,000  

China (includingHong Kong) 36,000 36,000 3,750,000  

Turkey 34,000 38,000 38,000  

Jamaica 25,000 31,000 31,000

Lebanon 2,200 2,200 2,200

TOTAL 5,540,000 6,050,000 13,620,000 58,000,000

www.ippr.org

Brits are spread across the globe

Countries re-sized by volume of Brits abroad there for a year or longer

Source: Maps produced by University of Sheffield based on ippr calculations

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The UK is an active skills interchange

• 2/3 of Brits leave to take up employment overseas

• British emigrants are becoming increasingly highly skilled

• Since 1976, the UK has lost more than half a million highly skilled Brits

• Replaced by highly skilled immigrants• Recent increases in

– lower-skilled British emigration– non-economically active near-retirement age

migration

www.ippr.org

Pensioners abroad

• 1 million UK state pensioners registered overseas

• Largest numbers in: Australia, Canada, USA, Ireland

• Largest growth rates in: Sweden, France, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

• Proportion of UK state pensioners taking retirement overseas is growing

• HMG pays £2 billion to overseas pensioners• NHS pays £331 million for healthcare of

British pensioners in EU

www.ippr.org

Explaining British emigration

• Net emigration of British nationals may be strong during times of economic prosperity at home when– unemployment is low– house prices are rising– exchange rates are favourable

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

-140,000 -120,000 -100,000 -80,000 -60,000 -40,000 -20,000 0 20,000

net British emigration

ILO

un

em

plo

yed

in

UK

(%

)

Correlation between British emigration and unemployment, 2 year lag, 1974-2005

Source: TIM data ONS, Labour Force Survey and ippr calculations

www.ippr.org

Motivations for moving

• Dominant motivations for emigration seem to be positive attributes of the places they would like to go to rather than the negative attributes of the UK

• Can be divided into four main ‘flow’ factors– Family Ties– Lifestyle– Overseas Adventure– Work

• British emigrants fit into many or none

www.ippr.org

Settlement and Integration

• The vast majority of Brits slip easily into new societies, but some find integration more challenging

• Key barriers to integration– Language and cultural differences lead

to ‘clustering’– Lack of preparation– Self-perceptions of British emigrants– Family-orientated host communities

www.ippr.org

Diasporic identity and ties

• No hyphenated British identity - national identity becomes stronger overseas

• No collective British diasporic identity• English, Scottish, Welsh vs British• Stronger virtual ties with the UK than

in situ connections with other expats• Reconstruction of social class abroad• Distinct from Brits who live in the UK

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A growing diaspora

• Factors encouraging emigration:– The new ‘travel bug’– Globalisation and emerging markets– ‘me’ society– Other countries’ attractive immigration policies– EU enlargement

• A million more Brits could emigrate over next five years

• Ageing but mobile demographic means that 3.3 million British pensioners could live overseas by 2050 (taking £6.5 billion)

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Implications and recommendations

• By engaging more with its overseas citizens, the UK could:– Tap into the knowledge, skills and contact

network of Brits abroad to promote trade and investment and minimise the risk of brain drain.

– Use Brits abroad as cultural ambassadors to aid public diplomacy efforts.

– Develop initiatives to encourage overseas Brits to return home and ensure their skills and expertise are fully utilised.

– Promote the political participation of Brits abroad to ensure democratic renewal.

www.ippr.org

Implications and recommendations

• The UK Government should also help those most at risk by:– Devising fair and workable rules on who is

entitled to British public services and under what conditions.

– Continuing with information campaigns to ensure that Brits are fully prepared for living overseas.

– Gaining a better understanding of who is where at times of international crisis

• Need for more research into emigration– Data (e.g. boosted IPS samples, e-borders, Brits

abroad census)– Non-British emigration

www.ippr.org

Catherine Drewinstitute for public policy research

CCSR 28 November 2006

Brits Abroad

Mapping the scale and nature of the British diaspora