MigrantoBritish Diaspora
4.7M British live abroad — 7% of the population of the UK
British diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 51% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Australia | 1107102 |
| USA | 894789 |
| Canada | 427526 |
| Spain | 294986 |
| Ireland | 293559 |
| New Zealand | 254524 |
| Poland | 184964 |
| France | 163042 |
| Thailand | 116582 |
| Italy | 67246 |
| Netherlands | 62657 |
| South Africa | 55144 |
| Malta | 54739 |
| Romania | 48738 |
| Switzerland | 48706 |
| Bangladesh | 45091 |
| Turkey | 40743 |
| Cyprus | 38082 |
| Isle of Man | 34715 |
| Sweden | 34445 |
| UAE | 27318 |
| Israel | 26577 |
| Portugal | 23725 |
| Denmark | 23607 |
| Belgium | 22271 |
| Norway | 22172 |
| Japan | 19617 |
| Greece | 19156 |
| Hong Kong | 19063 |
| Hungary | 17771 |
| Bulgaria | 16476 |
| Egypt | 15793 |
| Austria | 13841 |
| China | 13630 |
| Zimbabwe | 13101 |
| Kuwait | 10889 |
| Czech Republic | 10153 |
| Slovakia | 9987 |
| Libya | 8159 |
| Finland | 7604 |
| Qatar | 7210 |
| Lithuania | 6975 |
| Luxembourg | 6507 |
| Brazil | 6230 |
| Gibraltar | 5793 |
| India | 5693 |
| Jamaica | 4909 |
| Mexico | 4322 |
| Bermuda | 3963 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 3784 |
| Panama | 3695 |
| Malaysia | 3522 |
| Latvia | 3418 |
| Chile | 2912 |
| Iceland | 2804 |
| Bahrain | 2748 |
| Cayman Islands | 2614 |
| Barbados | 2560 |
| Taiwan | 2528 |
| Brunei | 2397 |
| Bahamas | 2259 |
| Zambia | 2100 |
| Argentina | 2014 |
| Namibia | 1907 |
| Colombia | 1873 |
| Ghana | 1782 |
| Indonesia | 1753 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1626 |
| Venezuela | 1621 |
| Philippines | 1532 |
| Morocco | 1418 |
| Botswana | 1388 |
| Estonia | 1322 |
| Falkland Islands | 1299 |
| Peru | 1250 |
| Andorra | 1206 |
| Sri Lanka | 1205 |
| Russia | 1200 |
| Bolivia | 1121 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1076 |
| Malawi | 1055 |
| Tanzania | 1025 |
| British Virgin Islands | 1023 |
| Serbia | 927 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 843 |
| Slovenia | 839 |
| Algeria | 810 |
| Costa Rica | 751 |
| Saint Lucia | 735 |
| Uruguay | 698 |
| Ecuador | 694 |
| Dominica | 659 |
| Croatia | 598 |
| Guyana | 586 |
| Dominican Republic | 543 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 521 |
| Belize | 512 |
| Mauritius | 462 |
| Anguilla | 450 |
| Belarus | 448 |
| Guadeloupe | 378 |
| Fiji | 355 |
| Cameroon | 327 |
| Saint Helena | 323 |
| North Korea | 315 |
| Tajikistan | 314 |
| Seychelles | 300 |
| Guatemala | 262 |
| Paraguay | 199 |
| Martinique | 168 |
| Liberia | 166 |
| Moldova | 156 |
| Faroe Islands | 146 |
| Sierra Leone | 131 |
| Maldives | 118 |
| Vanuatu | 117 |
| Mongolia | 111 |
| Montserrat | 106 |
| Cook Islands | 106 |
| Honduras | 105 |
| Cambodia | 103 |
| Montenegro | 101 |
| El Salvador | 92 |
| French Polynesia | 84 |
| Nicaragua | 76 |
| Liechtenstein | 70 |
| Puerto Rico | 67 |
| Uganda | 62 |
| Sint Maarten | 56 |
| Cape Verde | 55 |
| Eritrea | 43 |
| Curaçao | 38 |
| Bhutan | 37 |
| Solomon Islands | 37 |
| Georgia | 34 |
| Cuba | 22 |
| Samoa | 19 |
| Greenland | 14 |
| Kiribati | 7 |
| Guinea | 6 |
By region
32% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The British diaspora in numbers
The community in Poland is growing fastest
The number of British living in Poland has grown 340% since 2015, from 42K to 185K.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
7 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Poland, Thailand, Malta. Poland climbed from outside the top 20 to #7.
The share of the diaspora living in Europe has grown since 1990
14.6% of the diaspora lived in Europe in 1990, compared with 31.8% today.
1 in 15 people born in the UK lives abroad
4.7M people born in the UK now live in other countries — 6.9% of a population of 69.2M.
British diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 3814732 |
| 1995 | 3904504 |
| 2000 | 3908223 |
| 2005 | 4180002 |
| 2010 | 4479106 |
| 2015 | 4524105 |
| 2020 | 4649914 |
| 2024 | 4743231 |
Largest communities over time
British living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | Australia | USA | Canada | Spain | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1119737 | 803592 | 728715 | 63615 | 174509 |
| 1995 | 1154167 | 888840 | 665958 | 80794 | 187615 |
| 2000 | 1128760 | 847673 | 614122 | 101178 | 239615 |
| 2005 | 1118630 | 826320 | 584084 | 234133 | 282759 |
| 2010 | 1185773 | 848418 | 562869 | 318319 | 288432 |
| 2015 | 1206060 | 860900 | 533650 | 292177 | 278827 |
| 2020 | 1171185 | 883111 | 474286 | 285911 | 285496 |
| 2024 | 1107102 | 894789 | 427526 | 294986 | 293559 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of British in each country has changed since the selected year
British among immigrants in other countries
Where British make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many British live outside United Kingdom?
Around 4.7M British live abroad, the world's #13 largest diaspora.
Where do most British abroad live?
Most British live in Australia, USA and Canada — these three countries account for about 51% of all British living abroad.
Which country has the largest British population outside United Kingdom?
Australia is home to the largest British community abroad — 1.1M people, about 23% of all British living abroad.
What share of the population of the UK lives abroad?
About 7% of the population of the UK lives abroad — that's 4.7M out of a total population of 69.2M.
Is the British diaspora growing?
Barely — over the past decade, the number of British living abroad has changed from 4.5M to 4.7M, about 5%.
Where does the data on the British diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in the UK who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in the UK
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