A third of the people who move abroad find partners in their new country, according to a survey by expat community InterNations.
The survey showed that more than half of all expats in a relationship (56%) are in an intercultural one, and men are a bit more likely to meet their significant other after having moved abroad than women (31% vs 26%).
While expats from India (84%), Pakistan (83%), and South Africa (68%) tend to stick together, those from Mexico and Denmark are most likely to date someone from their new country of residence (46% each), followed by Australians, Austrians, and US Americans (45% each).
The Finnish are most likely to fall in love with someone from another country altogether (34%), followed by Hungarians and Swiss expats (33% each).
Over one in eight expats in a relationship are currently separated from their partner by international borders (13%), and they are not happy about it: one in five is dissatisfied with their long-distance relationship (20%), compared to only five% of those who live close to their partner.
Moreover, expats in a long-distance relationship are substantially less happy with their life in general (74% vs 81%).
Expat women (39%) are more likely to be single than expat men (30%): even though the most important reasons why women leave their home country include moving for their partner’s job or education (16%) and wanting to live in the same country as their partner (12%) — compared to only 3% of men stating the first and 10% mentioning the latter.
Moreover, regardless of gender, among those who originally moved for love, the romance did not necessarily live forever: one in 10 is single now.
And the lack of romance seems to be getting them down: 12% of single expats are unhappy with their life in general, just slightly more than those in a global long-distance relationship (10%) or those living close to their partner (9%).