Paris - one of the world’s great destinations of migration

In fact, a region the size of Belarus is not empty, but the population imbalance is of significance in comparison to the rest of the country. The population concentration is significantly higher to the west and east of this diagonal than in this region of the territory.

This is not a new phenomenon. Rural regions in France began to empty during the middle of the 19th century due to industrialization, urbanization, and low birth rates. Even though these processes managed to influence France far sooner than other European countries, the explanation for this can be summed up in one word: Paris. For centuries, Paris has attracted talent, wealth, and people like no other European city. France has been one of the most populous parts of Europe for centuries, but this has changed significantly over the past two centuries. Since the era of Louis XIV, the French capital has attracted ambitious elites, drawing them from other major centers of the country and concentrating them in one place. With the French Revolution, this only intensified. This political hyper-centralism also led to economic concentration around Paris, making the city one of the world’s most prominent destinations for migration.