Has Australia replaced Spain as top of the expat destinations?

Photo credit: Frans de Wit

New figures are claiming that Australia is the most popular place for retiring Brits, despite Spain also being crowned the champ earlier this month. The conflicting figures are sparking debate over which country is the most popular place for UK residents to move abroad. Has Australia really replaced Spain as top of the expat destinations?

With a population of 1.2 million Brits now living Down Under, the UK is Australia’s main source of migrants. And Brits are now finding Oz the most attractive retirement hotspot, according to Anglo Pacific International. The removals company reported recently that 43 per cent of its customers moved to Australia last year – a pretty hefty proportion of expats.

That may not quite rival the number of Brits living in Spain, but Australia also has another trump card: employment.

With a major shortage of skilled workers, Western Australia is in need of 150,000 people to keep its industries afloat – the complete opposite to the UK, where unemployment is at a record high of 0.9 million.

As the European economies continue to waver, the almost-guaranteed work and the prospect of staying in “the world’s most liveable city” (Melbourne) could easily swing scouting expats towards Down Under.