According to studies from the Office for National Statistics, Welsh and English citizens are increasingly abandoning city life for a more rural existence. This pattern of internal migration was observed in all major cities and illustrates what could be a growing trend in the years to come. It also raises some interesting questions regarding why this is, and what has allowed such a constant mass move to occur.
The Latest Data
The latest dataset available from the Office of National Statistics regarding internal migration was released in July of 2024, with the next annual update expected soon. Contained in this data, as helpfully visualized in this helpful map from MyLondon are the statistics on how many citizens have moved in and out. The greatest number of leavers is clustered in big cities like London, with Manchester, Leicester, and Birmingham seeing similar population declines.
Source: Pixabay
On the opposite side of the spectrum are rural areas in Cornwall, North Yorkshire, and Cheshire East. Each of these has seen population growth over the measured period, and this appears in line with the trends of previous years.
Driving the Move
Though this study doesn’t measure why people have continued to move to rural areas, there are a few likely scenarios that we can guess at. The first is that the growth of remote work opportunities has made living in the city less of a necessity than it was before. For many industries, it’s now possible to complete all work duties with just a laptop and an internet connection, so workers are choosing literally greener pastures.
Another issue that could be driving this move is an increase in urban housing prices. During the 2012 to 2022 period, house prices in both inner and outer London grew by more than 70%. While house prices across the UK have also grown, the overall cost of a comfortably sized home in the countryside is still much less than a similarly sized house in the city.
When it comes to direct buying and selling, modern services that offer cash for houses are streamlining the moving process, aiding in fast relocations. With free cash offers available within minutes and guaranteed sales on any property, these new methods are often much faster and more convenient than traditional options. With less waiting around and dealing with selling complications, this naturally results in higher overall sales.
Source: Pixabay
As technology improves the ability to connect to work life and move to new areas, the trend towards rural living will likely, at minimum, stay steady. This might eventually create a rebound effect where more empty houses within major cities cause prices to decrease, but this is still years away.
Until then, people across the UK are getting a bigger taste of the country life and all it has to offer. From suffering less urban pollution to forming smaller and closer communities, the effects of this exodus on collective well-being could be overwhelmingly positive. Though we’ll have to wait for the data to back this up, this trend could have profound implications down the line, so we’ll be following it closely.
