Thousands of UK nationals 'own foreign property'
Hundreds of thousands of Britons now own a property in another country, according to newly-released figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 848,000 people from the UK had purchased land or a residence overseas.
This works out to 2% of the UK population, although it does not take into account those people who have moved abroad on a permanent basis.
Most of the properties were found to be located in established European markets, such as Spain and France, although many Britons were said to have also chosen to invest further afield.
The ONS had predicted that the overall number of people who own a foreign property is set to rise substantially over the next two decades.
Estimates from the organisation suggest that by 2025, about 2 million Britons will own a residence outside of the UK.
This comes after the National Association of Estate Agents said that international economic problems would dent consumers' desire to purchase a foreign property this year.
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