Want a new life abroad? The most popular places to emigrate to named

Dreaming of starting a new life abroad?

South Korea, it would seem, is the world’s top hot spot to do it in, with Bulgaria No.1 in Europe.

That’s according to research from the expat experts at William Russell, which produced a ranking of the 10 countries with the biggest expat population increases since 1990.

According to the data, South Korea’s expat population soared from 43,000 in 1990 to more than 1.7million in 2020, an increase of 3,896 per cent.

Colombia saw the second-highest increase, with expat numbers jumping from just 104,000 in 1990 to 1.9million people in 2020, a surge of 1,727 per cent.

South America is an increasingly desirable choice for expats, with Chile in third place on the list. The country had just 104,000 foreign residents in 1990 – and 1.6million in 2020, an increase of 1,430 per cent. 

Bulgaria is fourth overall and top in Europe thanks to a leap in expat numbers from 21,000 in 1990 to 184,000 in 2020 (757 per cent). 

Spain (5th) also saw a considerable rise in its expat population, with numbers soaring from 821,000 in 1990 to 6.8million in 2020 (732 per cent). 

Serbia (6th, 729 per cent), Malta (7th, 661 per cent), Iceland (8th, 582 per cent), Finland (9th, 510 per cent) and Turkey (10th, 420 per cent) rounded out the top 10.

A William Russell spokesperson said: ‘South Korea may not have the most international migrants in the world, but when comparing its most recent figures to those of 1990, South Korea has seen a bigger change than any other, increasing by more than 3,800 per cent in the past 30 years.

‘Colombia has experienced the second biggest spike in expats of all the countries on our list. Considering this country offers affordable housing and the opportunity to obtain citizenship within as little as five years, it’s no wonder that expats are flocking here.

‘Chile completes our top three. The combination of a low cost of living and high quality of life has made Chile a popular destination for retirees.’

William Russell used United Nations data to find the countries with the fastest-growing expat populations. For more visit www.william-russell.com/blog/growing-expat-populations/#google.