The world’s most visited country welcomes between 90 and 100 million visitors every year. Holidaymakers from around the world travel for hours and sometimes spend a fortune on the chance to visit the iconic destination.
However, while some people in the world would only dream of visiting this one country, for those living there, it is a very different story. In fact, residents of the world’s most visited country think it has a “bad atmosphere” and want to leave.
Just a few hours away from the UK, France is on the bucket list of many travellers and a favourite destination for people across the globe. However, the number of residents leaving the country is increasing for various reasons, including instability and a decline in political confidence.
Julien, a restaurant entrepreneur who left Paris in December, told Euro News that he “didn’t feel happy in France anymore”. The restaurant owner also shared that he experienced a decline in customers throughout the year, putting it down to the idea that “people can’t afford to go out and shop like they used to”.
And Julien is not the only one who feels this way. According to a recent Gallup survey, more than a quarter of French people consider the idea of moving abroad permanently, a result that has increased by 11% from last year.
France is among the countries with the largest annual growth in the desire to move abroad since the analytics and advisory company started the survey back in 2007.
The research also revealed that confidence in the national government decreased to 29%, a 13-point drop in just one year.
Antonie, an engineer in the luxury goods sector based in Paris, hasn’t made the move yet but is leaning towards the idea. He says that he “adores” his home city, but feels “a kind of acceptance of others” in Canada that he no longer felt in France.
The engineer also shared that “there’s a lot of hatred between people” in France, but the issues also stem from the country’s political future, with his concerns mainly focused on the 2027 presidential election.
According to Gallup’s survey, the connection between institutional distrust and the desire to leave is clear: nearly half of the French people with little or no confidence in institutions want to leave the country, compared to a much smaller proportion among those who retain high confidence.
