‘Expat’ and the Fraught Language of Migration

The mass movement of people around the world is arguably one of the biggest stories of our time. Today, approximately 258 million people live outside their country of birth. By 2050, that number is expected to jump to 405 million. Some movements are voluntary (say, for a good job opportunity); others are driven by war, persecution, or environmental crisis. The reason for the movement gets reflected in the language used to describe the movers—whether they’re economic migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, or just foreigners.

As Europe and the United States debate whether and how much to welcome newcomers, many of their own citizens are also on the move—with, for example, 9 million Americans and more than 5 million Britons