International relocations brand MoveHub.com reviewed 89,000 international relocations between March 2020 and March 2021 to see how the pandemic has affected international moves.

MoveHub.com analysed how the pandemic has affected international relocations - households moving their belongings abroad permanently - and found the pandemic has caused thousands of expat households to relocate back to their native countries - including thousands of UK expats as Brexit and Covid-19 put an end to living abroad.

The UK had the second most new arrivals and topped the most exits list as it swapped international residents for returning expats. UK expat hotspots USA, Australia, Canada and Spain were all on the list for most popular countries to return to the UK from - suggesting the expat dream is over for many.

The other countries that saw the most households exit were Australia (5,331), Canada (5,068) and the USA (4,380) respectively, with India coming in 5th place (3,356).

The USA topped the list for new arrivals between March 2020 and 2021, with 13,621 households upping sticks to relocate to the States.  The UK was hot on its heels with 12,715 households relocating here in the past year. The origin countries for relocations to the UK are all expat hotspots including USA, Australia, Canada and Spain, suggesting people are giving up their international dreams to be closer to family.

Other countries that saw a lot of new arrivals include Australia which saw 2,971 households arrive Canada (1,807) and UAE (1,779). Given that many countries had restrictions on travel for any but residents, it suggests these influxes were nationals returning home.

The UK also saw the biggest number of exits with 7,071 households exiting the UK in the last year.  The other countries that saw the most households exit were Australia (5,331), Canada (5,068) and the USA (4,380) respectively, with India coming in 5th place (3,356).

Charlie Clissitt, relocations expert at MoveHub commented: “This was a year like no other for international relocations. The usual motivations of new careers, searching for a new lifestyle or adventure were off the cards as people instead seem to have relocated closer to family and friends. Some of this is driven by necessity and some because relocations for non-nationals will have been hampered by border closures.”