MOSCOW, December 1 (Sputnik) - Migrants who move across Europe under the EU free movement rules prefer to settle in Germany, rather than in the United Kingdom, a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published on Monday showed.
The study revealed that nearly 30 percent of EU migrants moved to Germany, while only 7 percent of those with free-mobility across the 28-member bloc decided to settle in the United Kingdom.
According to the research, Germany is now the second most favorable destination for migrants, right after the United States.
Nevertheless, migration in the United Kingdom remains high. The OECD stated that the number of foreign nationals living in the United Kingdom in 2013 rose to 4.9 million, an increase of 3.2 percent on the previous year. Foreign citizens accounted for 7.9 percent of the total United Kingdom population.
The report was revealed only a few days after British Prime Minister David Cameron announced specific and radical plans to cut migration levels in the United Kingdom. On November 28, Cameron set out plans to return net migration in the United Kingdom to 1990s levels and to curb benefits for migrants from the European Union.
Migrants account for 70% of the increase in working-age population in OECD area http://t.co/1W72IFXQsT #migration pic.twitter.com/3pHl8fswvJ
— OECD (@OECD) 1 декабря 2014