LIST: French regions ranked by how happy residents are to live there

Those in the south-east of France are happiest to be living in their region, and the majority of people in France are happy to live where they do, a new study has found.

The Observatoire des Régions study*, by Odoxa Consulting, found that 86% of people in France are “rather happy” or “completely happy” to be in the region they live in, in contrast to just 13% who said they were “rather unhappy” or “not happy”.

Overall in every region 80-92% residents said they were either “rather happy” or “completely happy” to be living there.

‘Completely happy’

Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (PACA) came out on top, with 48% saying they are “completely happy” to be living there. Brittany was also a favourite, at 47%.

The other regions showed: 

• Occitanie residents scored 41%, the same as those in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Pays de la Loire came next, at 39%

• Grand Est came in at 33%

• Normandy and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté scored 32%

• Hauts-de-France scored 23%

• While Ile-de-France came in last, at 22%.

Tourism and gastronomy appear to be important, with these industries the two leading sectors economically in the majority of the top regions.

Only the regions of Grand-Est and Hauts-de-France (and to some extent, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) are more focused on manufacturing and industry, while Ile-de-France is more focused on digital development.

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Regional improvement?

There were similar results for the question “Over the past few years, has the situation in your region tended to improve or decline?”, with 46% overall saying there had been an improvement (although 53% disagreed).

• Pays de la Loire came out on top here, at 58% agreeing that “things have tended to improve”

• Normandy: 53%

• Centre-Val-de-Loire: 51%

• Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur: 50%

• Brittany, Grand Est, and Occitanie: 48%

• Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: 45%

• Hauts-de-France and Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 44%

• Again, Ile-de-France came last, at 39%

Overall, 65% of people said they were satisfied with the economic development of their region, 64% were happy with the training opportunities on offer, 60% with the ecological transition and organisation of the region and 59% were happy with the transport options available.

Potential to move?

The study clearly stated that even though many people are happy to be living where they do this would not stop them from considering opportunities in another region, particularly for work.

The poll found that almost all full-time workers (90%) would be happy to live in another region if they were offered a good professional opportunity, while 62% said they would be happy to move to another region even if the work opportunity there was roughly the same as their situation now.

The regions of Occitanie, PACA, Brittany, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes tend to be the most attractive for full-time workers, Odoxa said.

Main priorities

The poll found that if they had to change regions, 78% of French people would consider “quality of life” as their top priority. 

Also high on their priority list:

• Geography and environment: 59%

• Housing quality: 54%

• Transport: 29%

• Employment and training dynamism: 19%

• Regional economic development: 16% 

The majority of people dream of moving somewhere more rural, however, with 53% of people in general and 55% of workers saying they would like to move to a rural village, or a town with fewer than 20,000 residents.

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Most attractive regions

Overall, French people said the region of Brittany was the most attractive (74% said this), taking all into account (work opportunities, quality of life, environment, housing, etc).

• Occitanie: 70%

• Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 67%

• PACA: 65%

• Normandy, and Pays de la Loire: 64%

• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: 62%

• Centre-Val-de-Loire: 50%

• Bourgogne-Franche-Comte: 49%

• Grand Est: 45%

• Hauts-de-France: 36%

• Ile-de-France: 36%

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*The study was conducted by Odoxa online from June 11-20 2024, on a representative sample of 3,009 French people aged 18 and over, of which 1,651 were full-time workers.