Top Reasons for Moving Abroad in 2026

 

For our 2026 Expat Insider survey, we asked close to 7,800 expats about their life abroad, including this question:

What was your main reason for relocating to your current host country?

These are the results.

Work is still the #1 reason

Overall, work remains the most cited motivation for moving abroad: a third of respondents give career-related reasons.

However, this is far from limited to people who are being sent abroad on a temporary assignment, the so-called “classic” expat:

• 17% found a job abroad
• 7% have been sent abroad by their employer
• 6% were recruited internationally
• 2% moved to start their own business
• 1% are on a diplomatic / NGO / NPO assignment

Of course, having a job lined up when relocating internationally comes with a few benefits: it provides a degree of financial security, gives you a clear purpose from day one, and — not to be underestimated — means you typically have an easier time when it comes to visa and other legal matters.

 

Looking more closely at the data for the top three subgroups here shows which countries are especially popular among them:

Over a quarter of respondents in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Luxembourg, and Switzerland primarily moved there because they found a job (up to 38% in Saudi Arabia!).

Foreign assignees, on the other hand, are especially common in Singapore and Brazil, while recruiting foreign talent seems particularly popular among companies in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

Don’t underestimate lifestyle choices

Lifestyle-related reasons for moving abroad are more widely spread — but in total still make up over a quarter of survey respondents in 2026.

Reflecting a range of personal priorities, they include:

• 9% looking for a better quality of life

• 4% searching for an adventure / personal challenge
• 4% who simply enjoy living abroad
• 4% wanting to live in a specific place
• 4% retiring abroad
• 3% naming financial reasons

Some are chasing sunshine and better work-life balance. Others are pursuing new experiences or fulfilling long-held dreams. Together, these responses all highlight a focus on intentional living.

Unsurprisingly, sunny and warm destinations then top the chart, especially when it comes to expats looking for a better quality of life: Portugal, Spain, Australia, and Thailand.

Canada, Australia, and Czechia, on the other hand, promise the idea of an adventure.

Crossing borders for love

Close to another quarter of expats moved abroad because of personal relationships, especially romantic ones:

• 11% moved for love / to live in their partner’s home country
• 6% cited family reasons
• 6% relocated for their partner’s job

In all three subcategories, the majority of respondents is female. This is especially true when it comes to joining a partner for their career: close to 73% of these expats are women.

Similar to where career-expats tend to be found, those relocating for their partner’s job make up a higher-than-average share in Luxembourg, Singapore, and South Africa. Denmark as well shows this trend, but it stands out even more for the high share of expats who moved there to join their Danish partner (28% vs. 11% globally).

Studying to stay?

Close to one in ten expats cite their education as the main reason for moving abroad:

• 8% to study abroad
• 1% to improve their language skills

This is particularly the case in Malaysia, Türkiye, the USA, the UK, as well as several European destinations.

Studying abroad is often a gateway experience. And indeed, among respondents who said they originally moved for their studies, more than half are now working full time.

Less common but no less powerful

At the lower end of the list are motivations that, while less frequent, still carry significant weight for the respective individuals:

• 4% moved for political, religious, or safety reasons
• 4% selected “other,” reflecting unique personal circumstances
• 1% relocated for volunteering or missionary work

 

Of course, all these results show only part of the picture. Relationships, education, work, lifestyle choices … they all shape your journey abroad — often overlapping in ways that data alone can’t fully capture.

 

(All percentages in this report have been rounded to full integral numbers.)