U.S. 'Moving Deficit' Surprisingly Favors Italy, Japan, Brazil; More Americans Moving to China, The Netherlands, Singapore

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More household goods moves were made from the United States to a number of countries than were made from those countries to the U.S. This "moving deficit" occurred with Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil and Italy in 2011, according to the International Migration Study released today by UniGroup Worldwide UTS (UniGroup UTS).

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While the four countries are listed among the Top 15 nations for moves from the U.S., Japan is the only country of the four to make the Top 15 nations for moves "to" the U.S., according to the global transportation expert's survey.

The 2011 data was consistent with 2010, as several Western European countries topped the list of destinations for U.S. residents moving abroad – the UK, Germany, Switzerland – consistent with trends over the last decade. Asian countries appear higher and more frequently on the top destination lists, and there were more moves from the U.S. to China than moves from China to the U.S. In 2011, the UK was the No.1 country over Germany in terms of households moving to the U.S.

UniGroup UTS is affiliated with U.S. moving leaders Mayflower Transit and United Van Lines. For the last 35 years, United Van Lines, America's #1 Mover, has released an annual domestic migration study.

Since releasing its first international study in 2010, UniGroup UTS expanded its data to include U.S. shipment trends to/from Canada, as well as intra-country data from the company's regional headquarters in Europe and Asia. The 2011 study now includes more than 25,000 household goods moves for major corporations managed by UniGroup UTS.

"UniGroup UTS continues to be a leader in global household goods moves to and from the U.S. and around the world," said Brian Iles, president, UniGroup UTS. "UniGroup UTS's international migration study results offer very important insight into what is happening with overall migration patterns to and from the U.S."

2011 Top Origin Countries to the U.S.

1. United Kingdom
2. Germany
3. China
4. Ireland
5. The Netherlands
6. Singapore
7. France
8. India
9. Japan
10. Switzerland
11. Israel
12. Canada
13. Malaysia
14. Belgium
15. South Africa

2011 Top Destination Countries from the U.S.

1. Germany
2. United Kingdom
3. Australia
4. China
5. Switzerland
6. India
7. France
8. Singapore
9. The Netherlands
10. Belgium
11. Japan
12. Hong Kong
13. Brazil
14. Italy
15. Ireland

Europe
After being No. 1 for the past six consecutive years, the UK is now the No. 2 destination for U.S. residents moving abroad with UniGroup Worldwide UTS. Germany became the No. 1 destination, up from No. 2 in 2010.

Other European countries that top the list are Switzerland (No 5), France (No. 7), The Netherlands (No. 9) and Belgium, which moved from No 13 to No. 10. Switzerland also moved up from No. 6 to No. 5.

The UK is now the top country of origin for people moving to the U.S. The UK was closely followed by several other European countries — Germany (No. 2), Ireland (No. 4), The Netherlands (No. 5), France (No. 7), and Switzerland (No. 10). Germany moved down from No. 1, Ireland is new to the list, The Netherlands move up from No. 7 and Switzerland moved down from No. 3. The continents of Asia and Africa are also moving high volumes of people from or to The Netherlands.

Africa
Africa is perfectly balanced with 53 shipments to and from the continent.

Asia Pacific
Moves to or within Asia generally were concentrated in China and southern Asia – India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan.

China and other Asian countries have demonstrated rapid growth in the number of people who have migrated to and from the U.S. In 2011, China moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 for the number of moves to the U.S., but it also dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 in terms of the number of moves from the U.S.

Not only are these Asian countries sending more people to the U.S., but they also are sending them in record numbers. Over the years, there have been increases in moves from the Asia-Pacific region, such that Singapore moves up from No.10 to No. 6, India moved up from No. 15 to No. 8, and Japan (No. 9). None of these countries appeared on the high-ranking list 10 years ago, but began to emerge as a top destination in the middle of the decade.

Australia rose from No. 4 to No. 3 as a popular destination for people leaving the U.S. India moved up from No. 9 to No. 6. Singapore moved up from No. 10 to No. 8.

Central and South America
Brazil (No. 14) is the only Central or South American country to appear on the top destinations list for 2011. In 2010, Brazil ranked at No 12.

No Central or South American countries made the list for sending high numbers of residents to the U.S. Costa Rica and Puerto Rico both appeared on this list in the past, but the numbers of residents leaving these countries for the U.S. recently declined.

Canada
Canadian shipment statistics show the majority of people moving to California, Texas and New York. The majority of the shipments from the U.S. to Canada are coming from California, Texas, New Jersey, New York and the state of Washington.

About UniGroup Worldwide UTS
UniGroup Worldwide UTS is an international transportation provider with head offices in St. Louis, Mo. and Amsterdam, The Netherlands, specializing in the movement of household belongings. It is among the largest and most recognized international household goods moving providers in the world. UniGroup UTS has regional offices located in Hong Kong, London and Toronto and maintains a global footprint of more than 1,300 affiliated service centers. For more information about UniGroup Worldwide UTS, please visit unigrouputs.com.

SOURCE UniGroup Worldwide UTS