Record Numbers Leave Britain for New Life

LONDON - Record numbers of people are leaving Britain for greener pastures overseas, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

A total of 385,000 people, nearly 50,000 more than the previous year, left the United Kingdom in 2006, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

It was the biggest number since the statistic was first recorded 16 years ago.

The largest amount, 60,000, went to Commonwealth countries including Australia, New Zealand and India.

Western Europe destinations such as France, Germany and Greece were the next most popular, with about 45,000 people migrating from the UK.

The report does not include reasons why people to decide to emigrate.

"Long term migration from the UK reached 385,000 in the year to mid-2006, the highest figure since the introduction of the current indicator in 1991," it said.

"Increases in births, decreases (in) deaths and changes in the pattern of international migrations into and out of the United Kingdom have all contributed to population growth since 2001."

The report said the amount of people immigrating to the UK fell by 34,000 to 559,000, of which 74,000 were from Eastern European countries which joined the EU in May 2004.

Britain's population swelled 0.6 percent to more than 60.5 million, due to a higher birth rate and lower amounts of people dying, the ONS said.

"In the year to mid-2006, the largest percentage growth in population was at ages 85 and over (six per cent) and the number in this age group reached a record 1.24 million," it added.

The figures also revealed that one in four babies born in the United Kingdom had a mother or father born overseas.