Map exposes what Australians really think of the United States
Australia’s nickname as the “lucky country” could be accurate if US migration data is anything to go by.
Americans love Australia more than we love the US - and now there’s data to prove it.
A map showing US migration across the globe has revealed that, for almost every country in the world, America gains more of their citizens than it has US citizens in their nation, with one exception - Australia.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that there are almost 110,000 US-born residents in Australia while US Census Bureau data estimate that there are 97,800 Australians in the US.
The findings were tweeted by demographer Simon Kuestenmacher who joked “on balance Australia is a better place to live than the US”.
Mr Kuestenmacher told news.com.au it showed “how attractive Australia is” to the rest of the world.
“Australia has a lot of things to offer, plenty of jobs, plenty of large American companies, which provide an easy pathway for employment,” he said.
Geography trivia for you: The US records net positive migration from the entire world except Australia. Does that mean US Americans think Australia is the only more desirable destination on the planet? 😉🇺🇸🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/N1Mo2s035t
— Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) June 24, 2023
“We are also an English speaking nation, most US Americans only speak English so they don’t have the world to choose from.”
Demographer Mark McCrindle said the data was a “remarkable tribute to brand Australia”.
“That there are more citizens from countries of lower wealth in the US than Americans in those countries is expected,” he told news.com.au.
“But for Australians, such is the lifestyle of our nation, balanced with a strong economy and work opportunities, even the pull of living in the world’s largest economy is not enough to tip the balance. Indeed the liveability of Australia, even though it is so far from the US has positioned Australia as a net-gain country, with more US citizens living here, than Australians living there.”
Social media users were quick to speculate about the reasons why so many Americans were flocking to Australia.
“The standard of living and the quality of life is better in Australia. Plus our kids don’t get killed going to school,” one person wrote bluntly.
Another described the US as a “dumpster fire”.
“You can’t usually see it until you live in it. Australia is 100 X better for sure.”
A number of social media users weighed into the discussion with political analysis.
“Why would Australians move to a country with endemic gun violence, exorbitant health care, which is actively removing women’s rights, has a highly uneducated population, religious fundamentalist and minimum wage incompatible with a decent quality of life?” one wrote.
While another predicted Australia’s good fortune wouldn’t last.
“We have been extremely economic fortunate for the last 30 years. But the next decade looks bad and opportunities for young people are looking dismal. I’d expect this to shift unless the E3 visa is removed.”
Many couldn’t resist having a dig at America.
“Americans think that this is the only place on earth where Americans are not hated,” one user quipped. “As an Australian, I can confirm this is wrong. Everyone I know hates Americans. Australian politicians, on the other hand, are stooges of America.”
carla.mascarenhas@news.com.au
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