Run for the sun: 85% of expats in Spain drawn by the climate, poll finds

While for many countries the attraction to expats is the chance of a career, for Spain, it is the climate and the lifestyle that proves the biggest draw.

A new poll of expats by Internations has found that Spain’s abundant sunshine was the main reason why 85% of expats moved there…

This statistic actually only places Spain fourth overall in the sun attraction stakes, with expats to Malta (92%), Costa Rica (89%) and Cyprus (86%) each stressing that the climate was the biggest draw for them.

Spain was, however, a world leader in terms of leisure activities, with 88% of expats stating that the chance to live more of their life outdoors, and more actively, acted as a major factor in their decision to relocate to Spain.

The Internations poll also looked at the different reasons why certain nationalities choose to move abroad. The survey found that the promise of better weather was a deciding factor for 60% of British expats, with a similar proportion of Irish, Dutch and Norwegian expats saying the same.

This is not surprising: sunshine is the one thing that these wealthier northern European nations cannot import, and so heading south makes perfect sense for those with the cash and inclination to do so.

The poll surveyed more than 14,000 expats living in 191 countries, and also found that – again, unsurprisingly – the British weather ranked extremely low in reasons why expats move to the UK, with career and culture proving the strongest draws.