Coming to America: More People Moved to U.S. from International Locations in 2013

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States experienced an influx of people from international locations in 2013, with more household goods moves made to the U.S in 2013 than moves from the U.S., according to the International Migration Study released today by UniGroup Relocation.

The U.K. is the top country of origin for moves to the U.S., as it has been for seven out of the past eight years. Several Western European countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland, continue to top the list of destinations for U.S. residents moving abroad. For the first time, Malaysia made the list as a top destination country for U.S. citizens.

For the first time in four years, there were more moves from China to the U.S. than moves from U.S. to China. In the Asia Pacific region, China, Singapore and India saw the most activity from the U.S.

The UniGroup companies move more than 260,000 families each year. The international study, which UniGroup has released since 2010, includes moves to the U.S. from nations abroad and from the U.S. to other countries.

"As a global leader in household goods moves, UniGroup Relocation's moving data offers a glimpse into global migration trends," said Rich McClure, president, UniGroup.

"The U.S. only saw a moving deficit to two of the countries on the top destination and origin lists, demonstrating the U.S. economy's international strength," said Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Some key trends emerged in the 2013 migration patterns:

Europe
European countries saw a high volume of inbound and outbound moves with Germany and the U.K. taking the top spots on both the origin and destination lists. In comparison to 2012 data, France moved to No. 5 from No. 6 on the destination list and Italy stayed at No. 13. Switzerland appeared at the No. 9 spot and Belgium fell slightly to No. 13 from No. 12.

Asia Pacific
Japan moved up on the destination list to No. 7 from No. 10. After joining the ranking in 2012, Hong Kong moved to No. 14 from No. 15 on the top destinations. In 2013, China had a moving deficit to the U.S.

Central and South America
Brazil moved to No. 12 from the No. 14 spot on the top origin list, and held steady at No. 11 on the destination list. Chile fell from the top destination list where it came in at No. 12 in 2012.

UniGroup Relocation is affiliated with U.S. moving leaders Mayflower Transit and United Van Lines. The 2013 international migration results come after United released its 37^th annual domestic migration study, capturing state-to-state migration patterns in the U.S.

About UniGroup Relocation
UniGroup Relocation offers premier relocation support including pre-assignment, housing, moving and destination services around the world. With regional headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., Amsterdam and Hong Kong, the UniGroup Relocation Network services nearly 1,200 locations across more than 180 countries. To learn more about UniGroup Relocation, please visit UniGroupRelocation.com.

SOURCE UniGroup Relocation