Brexit: Potential Migration Wave and Population Gains and Losses in the European Union and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Abstract: Now that the United Kingdom voted in favor of exiting from the European Union, a process commonly known as Brexit, there is a possibility that we will witness a tremendous migration wave between the EU and the UK once Brexit is implemented. This will ultimately affect every aspect of European society and will have repercussions on the global economy and geopolitics. In this paper, we analyze the migration effectiveness between the EU and the UK. The results indicate that, currently, there is an efficient redistribution of the population in favor of the UK, compared to most other EU countries. For instance, the number of UK citizens living in Belgium, Cyprus, Luxemburg and Spain is greater than the number of citizens of Belgium, Cyprus, Luxemburg and Spain living in the UK. Between France and the UK, there is an almost equal number of migrants living in each country. The UK must contend with the possible migration of a significant percent of the 2.9 million EU migrants currently residing in the UK. In addition, the UK has to update its policies to accommodate the 0.8 million UK citizens living in other EU countries.