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In one of the biggest annual surveys on expat life, Expat Insider, the global networking community InterNations asked both locals and expats about the impact of the pandemic.

A Shake-Up in Relocation Plans

Among all survey respondents, close to one in ten (9%) say they have moved or will move home earlier than originally intended due to COVID-19 — though 46% of them also plan to return to their life abroad within the year. A US American respondent shares: "I left the employer I was with, but I still hope to return overseas in some capacity."

One in six (17%) had to stop their plans to either move abroad in the first place or to relocate from one foreign country to another. However, 7% also say that they have now decided to move to another country due to the pandemic, while 12% of respondents are planning to extend their current stay abroad. The rest (55%) states that the pandemic has not had a direct impact on their relocation plans and/or current stay in a foreign country.

Moving Abroad Because of Corona

Among local survey participants, close to one in ten (9%) say they are now planning an international relocation due to COVID-19. In Russia, the share of local respondents who now want to move is particularly high at 20%. Expats, on the other hand, are less likely to plan a move to another foreign country because of the pandemic: only 6% give this answer. Notably, this group is overrepresented in a number of GCC States, though, such as Kuwait (19%), Saudi Arabia (12%), and Oman (11%), which are joined by South Africa (13%), Singapore (12%), and India (10%).

The Pandemic's Impact on Everyday Life

Of course, COVID-19 has not only disrupted relocation plans. When asked where they see the biggest impact of the pandemic on their personal life right now, survey respondents point out its effects on personal travel (25%), social life (23%), and on work and business (16%) in particular. Again, the difference between expats and local respondents is quite interesting. Both groups are quick to point out the impact on their social life (24% of expats, 21% of locals). "My social life was killed by COVID-19 at the worst moment: my arrival," a French expat in Budapest shares. However, while respondents living abroad are more likely to struggle with the pandemic's effect on personal travel (28% of expats vs. 18% of locals), one in five local respondents (20%) shares that the pandemic has especially impacted their work or business (vs. 15% of expats).

Find out more in the complete Expat Insider 2021 report.