The top 10 cities Londoners move to: see where Birmingham & Manchester rank

We recently revealed that Birmingham is welcoming thousands of Londoners leaving the capital each year.

Many of those living in the capital are travelling the 118 miles or so up the M40 or M1 to enjoy life the West Midlands. And with HS2 there are some who believe this could escalate further, with some London publications referring to Birmingham as a ‘commuter city’.

But with Brum shining amid a global spotlight during last year’s Commonwealth Games, and the likes of the Peaky Blinders phenomenon spreading the world about the brilliance of Birmingham, it’s no wonder thousands of Londoners are making it their home.

But is Birmingham the most popular destination for Londoners to relocate to? The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the estimated number of people to have moved out of London boroughs and into Birmingham.

The statistics show that thousands of people make the move from the capital to Birmingham each year. And the numbers of people moving to Birmingham has remained steady over the last five years. Between 2016 and 2020, between 6,000 and 7,770 have made the move each year.

The data also shows that 242,764 people have moved to Birmingham from elsewhere in the UK during those five years.

So, how does the number of people moving to Birmingham from London compare to the number of people moving to Birmingham from else where in the UK and is Birmingham the most popular city for Londoners to move to?

The data shows that Buckinghamshire is the most popular county for those living in London to move to. In the year ending 2020, 8344 people made the move from the capital to the South East county.

But what are the most popular cities? Let’s take a look at the top 10 cities Londoners moved to when they left the capital in the year ending June 2020 (the latest data available):