ABSTRACT
Over the whole period, the British Isles was the principal source of supply of people, accounting for approximately 37 per cent of the total outflow from Europe.
The other major sources, in order of their importance, were Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Spain, Russia (including Poland), and Portugal. Emigration from Britain was heavy throughout the nineteenth century, whereas the outflow from Italy became substantial only after 1880. Then it grew rapidly, and in the first decade of this century it was heavier even than the outflow from Britain (3.6m. compared with 2.8m.). German emigration, which along with the British accounted for the bulk of the European outflow before 1880, became relatively less important after that date, owing chiefly to the alternative domestic employment opportunities afforded by rapid industrialization.
