Marseille Residents Increasingly Relocating to Paris, Study Reveals
Paris, France – A recent study on French relocation trends has unveiled a significant shift in population movement, with a notable increase in residents departing the Bouches-du-Rhône department, including Marseille, to establish themselves in the French capital. This development suggests a change in the attractiveness of the South of France, six years after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2026 Barometer of Relocations, conducted by Ipsos.digital for Nextories, highlights evolving mobility patterns among the French population. While national mobility is described as “increasingly hindered” yet “still desired,” the Bouches-du-Rhône department is experiencing more departures than arrivals, particularly towards Paris.
Bouches-du-Rhône: A “Rotation Zone”
The study indicates that the Bouches-du-Rhône department has become a “rotation zone,” where people settle but do not stay long-term. This is evidenced by a considerable 60% increase in departures since 2022, surpassing neighboring departments like Hérault (+31%) and Alpes-Maritimes (+16%).
Several factors contribute to this trend, including the housing crisis, inflation, and rising interest rates. These economic obstacles have led 44% of French individuals with relocation plans in the past year to postpone or abandon them due to the economic climate. In Bouches-du-Rhône alone, these figures decreased by 5% between 2024 and 2025.
Marseille Residents Head to Paris
The primary destinations for those leaving Bouches-du-Rhône are the Var department and, notably, Paris. This marks a reversal of the post-confinement trend, which saw a mass exodus from the capital. In 2025, Paris led the list of cities where French people moved, accounting for 6.37% of relocations, followed by Marseille at 4.47%, and Lyon at 3.72%. Marseille’s growth in this regard was almost negligible, representing 4.07% of recorded relocations in 2025.
Concerns Over Heatwaves and Fires
The Ipsos study also sheds light on the reasons behind this shift in sentiment. When imagining life on the Mediterranean coast, 56% of respondents expressed concerns about heatwaves. More broadly across the South, 62% were worried about the risk of fires in the Mediterranean region.
The study reveals that relocations are increasingly “motivated by economic and professional imperatives.” While personal motivation remains a key factor, it has declined by 16 points, from 53% to 37% in a single year. Nextories states, “French people no longer plan their mobility; they react. Projects are less part of an anticipated life trajectory and more a matter of adjusting to immediate constraints or opportunities.”
Study Methodology
The Ipsos Digital study was conducted from April 3 to April 7, 2026, among a representative sample of 1,000 French individuals aged 18 to 75. This data was cross-referenced with Nextories’ internal data on over 200,000 relocation projects managed between 2022 and 2025. A complementary survey was also conducted in March 2026 with 69 professional movers.
