A recent survey has revealed that the number of British people who will retire abroad is set to rise to 3.3 million by 2050, the BBC has reported.

The majority of British expats who have already made the move away from the UK stated that their main reason for overseas emigration was the desire to improve their quality of life, with the rising costs of living in the UK also proving to be one of the leading factors.

90% of expats surveyed claimed they had discovered a better quality of life since moving abroad, whilst 60% stated they had no intention of moving back to Britain at any point on the future.

Canada was rated as the most desirable location to immigrate to, followed closely by Australia in second place and New Zealand in third.

Further findings unveiled by the survey were as follows:

It is estimated that by 2025, some 1.8 million Britons will be spending their twilight years abroad, rising to a potential 3.3 million by 2050.

76% of expats state that they still feel home sick at times

20% state that their sense of being British has diminished since they emigrated

Canada scored first place with a mean score of 63.95 out of 80, with high rankings for housing, the natural environment and the availability of consumer goods.