More than one-in-10 people who packed up to move house outside of capital cities are settling in the Geelong region.

Regional Australia Institute’s Regional Movers Index for March saw Geelong record a 9.3 per cent net internal migration intake, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast as the nation’s leading destination for people moving to the country.

When including the Surf Coast, Queenscliff and Golden Plains council areas, the region’s intake rises to an almost 11 per cent share.

Geelong’s share of internal migration accelerated 96 per cent in the past year and is now greater than Victoria’s next three most popular destinations combined – Ballarat, Bendigo and the Moorabool Shire.