As the saying goes: everywhere in the sea, there are Chinese. Over the past 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, the footprints of Chinese people have spread almost all over the world.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there are more than 10.7 million overseas Chinese today, and if you count their descendants, it is about 60 million, spread across 200 countries and regions around the world.
Chinese immigrants are an important part of the global migration wave. Since the 16th century, China has seen multiple waves of migration, with Chinese communities flourishing in countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Since the 80s of the 20th century, with the rapid growth of China's economy and the development of foreign trade relations, they have mainly moved to industrialized countries, and their preferred destination is the United States, followed by Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and other countries.
Insider Monkey, an American investment information website, recently conducted a detailed study of the 16 countries with the largest number of Chinese immigrants in the world and published their rankings. Henley & Partners, a London-based investment immigration consultancy, has also previously made predictions about global migration trends in 2023. In these reports, we see some "new regions" coming to the fore.
The results of the TOP16 are out
The global expatriate market offers abundant economic opportunities for Chinese immigrants. Today, Chinese immigrants have spread to 130 countries, and many countries, including Indonesia, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Singapore, have significant Chinese populations. The total number of Chinese immigrants in the world has reached 39.5 million.
Let's take a look at the full list of 2023 released by Insider Monkey. No. 10: Japan Total number of Chinese immigrants: 922,000
The number of Chinese immigrants in Japan has increased in the last year, mainly due to the abundant business opportunities and unique lifestyle in the region, which have attracted many immigrants. In the process, Osaka became a popular destination. Osaka is not only one of Japan's economic centers, but its diverse culture, cuisine, and convenient transportation facilities make life here very comfortable and convenient.
In Osaka, with the increasing influx of Chinese immigrants, the pursuit of quality of life has become more and more important. Many newcomers want to find a place that offers a high quality of living environment and is convenient for working and living. This demand translates directly into a strong demand for high-quality apartments. High-quality apartments not only offer modern facilities and comfortable living conditions, but are also often located in convenient locations with complete living facilities, meeting the expectations of immigrants for a high quality of life. As a result, Osaka's real estate market, especially the market for high-quality apartments, has received a significant boost. Developers have also capitalized on this trend and launched a series of high-end residential projects that cater to the needs of Chinese immigrants. This not only improves the quality of living in the city, but also further attracts more Chinese immigrants to settle and develop in Osaka. 9th place: South Korea Total number of Chinese immigrants: 1070566
In 2023, South Korea will have its first trade deficit with China in 31 years, with a deficit of 18 billion US dollars (about 126 billion yuan). Despite this, South Korea as a whole still achieved a trade surplus of US$4.5 billion (about 31.5 billion yuan), thanks to strong export growth, which rose by 18.0% year-on-year. Foreign direct investment (FDI) from China remains at a high level, despite the fact that in January 2024, imports fell by 7.8% to $54.39 billion.
No. 8: Philippines Total number of Chinese immigrants: 1273125
The Philippines is home to a large number of Chinese immigrants. Although the proportion of Chinese communities in the Philippines is not overwhelmingly dominant compared to other countries, these communities have greatly enriched the local cultural diversity and promoted exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.
7th place: Australia Total number of Chinese immigrants: 1390639
According to the survey report, Chinese immigrants choose Australia mainly because of local real estate investment, quality of life, educational resources and business opportunities. It is reported that China is Australia's largest export market and contributes greatly to its economy. In 2018, the Chinese market contributed 7.2% to Australia's GDP. Over the past decade, Australia's investment in major Asian countries, including China, has also increased.
6th place: Myanmar Total number of Chinese immigrants: 1725794
Myanmar's economic opportunities and investment policies have attracted a large number of Chinese immigrants. Chinese investment accounts for more than 73% of the country's total foreign investment, mainly focused on infrastructure construction and development in the consumer goods sector.
No. 5: Total number of Chinese immigrants in Canada: 1769195
Canada is one of the countries with the largest number of immigrants in China. In 2018, Canada hosted 81,500 Chinese students, and Chinese tourists spent US$5.9 billion (about 42 billion yuan) in Canada in the same year. Two-way investment between Canada and China is also growing rapidly. In 2018, China's stock of foreign direct investment in Canada reached US$17 billion (about 119 billion yuan). In 2017, Chinese multinationals generated US$14.8 billion (about 103.6 billion yuan) in sales in Canada, providing employment opportunities for nearly 23,000 Canadians.
4th place: Indonesia Total number of Chinese immigrants: 2832510
In 2022, China's direct investment in Indonesia reached US$8.23 billion (about 58 billion yuan). Indonesia's large population and growing consumer demand make it an attractive market globally. Chinese companies have invested heavily in various sectors such as manufacturing, construction, energy, technology and electric vehicles, and have built a complete industrial chain.
3rd Place: United States Total Chinese Immigrants: 5025817
The United States is one of the countries with the largest number of Chinese immigrants, with more than 5 million Chinese immigrants, accounting for 5% of the total immigrant population. Most of these Chinese immigrants are highly educated, often in managerial positions, often through work to obtain legal permanent residency, and have become an important group of new green card holders in recent years. The United States is one of the top destinations for Chinese immigrants around the world. In addition, China is also a major source of international students at U.S. universities.
Second place: Malaysia Total number of Chinese immigrants: 6,884,800
More and more Chinese immigrants are choosing Malaysia for economic and investment opportunities. In Malaysia, many of the wealthiest people are of Chinese descent.
1st place: Thailand Total number of Chinese immigrants: 9,300,000
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of Chinese immigrants in Thailand, which has had a profound impact on the country's real estate and business sectors. In the first half of 2023, investment deductions increased by 70 percent, with China's contribution reaching 16.9 percent, according to the Board of Investment of Thailand. In the real estate sector, Chinese are the main foreign buyers, with the number of properties they buy accounting for 10.8% of the total condominium transfers in Thailand. With the increase in Chinese immigration, housing prices in some popular areas such as Phuket and Bangkok have also risen.
Property prices in Phuket have continued to rise in recent years, showing good prospects for development. This trend is mainly followed by domestic and foreign investors, who are increasingly attractive to Phuket as a tourist hotspot and real estate investment destination. Known for its unique natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and well-established tourism facilities, Phuket attracts home buyers and investors from all over the world.
In addition, Phuket's real estate market has benefited from the Thai government's continued investment in tourism and infrastructure, which together have contributed to the steady growth in house prices. With the recovery of Phuket's tourism industry and the recovery of the global economy, the real estate market in Phuket is expected to maintain a healthy growth trend in the coming years.
In addition to the countries mentioned above, Insider Monkey points out that the 11th to 16th ranked countries are: Vietnam (immigration: 749466), France (immigration: 600,000), the United Kingdom (immigration: 488847), Singapore (immigration: 451481), Brazil (immigration: 250,000), and New Zealand (immigration: 247,770).
Millionaire "exodus" trend
According to a 2023 report released by investment immigration consulting firm Henley & Partners, China, the world's second-largest economy and second-most populous country, is expected to see the largest exodus of millionaires. In 2022, China's net outflow of high-net-worth individuals reached 10,800, which is expected to further increase to 13,500 in 2023. However, Insider Monkey points out that despite this, according to China's immigration statistics, the number of foreign immigrants going to China is also increasing year by year. In 2015, China attracted 978,046 foreign immigrants, an increase of 15.08% over 2010, indicating that the number of immigrants flowing into China is also growing steadily.
In addition to China, Henley & Partners noted that India is expected to see an exodus of 6,500 millionaires in 2023, 1,000 fewer than in 2022. The staff of the investment immigration agency also said that despite this exodus, there should be no overly worrying because the number of new millionaires created in India each year far exceeds the number lost due to immigration.
Despite the political turmoil and rising economic uncertainty caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the number of millionaires lost in Russia in 2023 is estimated at 3,000, down from 8,500 in 2022. This number is the fourth highest in the ranking. In third place is the United Kingdom. It is estimated that the UK will lose a net 3,200 millionaires in 2023, a figure double that of 2022. The main reason for the increase is that "Brexit has made the UK less popular among high-net-worth individuals, as it has become more difficult for them to move between the UK and EU countries." "The data shows that the share of the UK's investment in European countries has declined since its exit from the European Union, while Germany and France have benefited from it.