Global Expatriates: Size, Segmentation and Forecast for the Worldwide Market 2023

Global Expatriates: Size, Segmentation and Forecast for the Worldwide Market 2023 is an interactive dataset showing the size and segmentation of the global expatriate population. It shows total numbers at global and regional level for 2019, 2022 and with a forecast to 2025, split between five expatriate types: individual workers, corporate and other transferees, students, retired expatriates, and 'other' expatriates. It analyses 25 key countries in detail, selected because of their economic importance and significance in the context of the expatriate market. The research is delivered as an Excel spreadsheet which includes overview data, detailed country breakdowns showing cross-segmentation by origin / destination and type, and an interactive data dashboard.

Why is this research needed?

• International mobility is one of the defining features of the contemporary global economy. Nearly 70 million people lived abroad as expatriates in 2019, and this number had been rising yearly.
• The COVID-19 pandemic completely overturned established patterns of movement as countries around the world closed their borders for different lengths of time. Working from home led companies to cut international travel and transferees, while individual workers explored life as ‘digital nomads’.
• Geopolitics have also had an impact, with emigration from Hong Kong increasing from 2020 and from Ukraine from 2022.
• What have been the impacts of these events?
  • Have expatriate numbers returned to pre-COVID levels?
  • Which countries have been slower to return to growth, and which have seen the most rapid increase?
  • How has each type of expatriate been affected?
  • Have student numbers rebounded but the number of corporate transferees or retirees remained lower?
  • Where are Ukrainian refugees most numerous?