The Office of National Statistics said 207,000 Britons left the country last year, along with 193,000 foreign citizens who had been living in the country, The Independent reported. About 591,000 foreigners emigrated to Britain, for a net gain of 191,000 people.

The government said 100,000 people left Britain for a new job and 82,000 to look for work, with the rest retirees or people going abroad to study or to live with relatives.

Danny Sriskandarajah, the head of migration at the Institute for Public Policy Research, said people are more mobile than ever.

"More people are on the move than ever before, with (1) million emigrants and immigrants crossing our borders last year," he said. "This suggests the (United Kingdom) is seeing revolving turnstiles and not overrun floodgates."

The top destinations for emigrating Britons are Australia, Spain and France, followed by the United States and New Zealand.