France is a great place to live - so why the new ranking?
A new global index ranks France below several of its European neighbours
Published
France has been ranked well below several of its Western European neighbours in a new global index assessing the best countries in which to live, raise a family and retire.
The 2026 Rumavi Global Relocation Index ranks France 79th out of 192 countries for living overall.
It puts France behind Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK, among others.
France scores 70 out of 100 for liveability, one of its strongest results. However, its scores are lower in other sectors, including finances and safety.
It scores 48 for financial factors, 63 for safety and 71 for settling.
The same pattern appears in the separate rankings for families and retirees.
France ranks 79th as a place to live for families, with a score of 62. Portugal is fifth, Spain 25th and Italy 58th.
For retirees, France falls even further, ranking 123rd, with a score of 60.5. Portugal ranks third, Spain 18th and Italy 51st.
The family ranking considers factors including schools, childcare, healthcare, street safety and quality of life.
For retirees, healthcare, cost of living, climate and the availability of realistic long-term residency options are among the factors considered.
France scores 68 for liveability in the family ranking and 69 in the retirement ranking, but its financial scores are 47 and 46 respectively.
Rumavi's index covers 192 countries and also includes separate rankings for digital nomads, entrepreneurs and tax-friendliness, where France ranks last in Western Europe with a score of 59.9.
Subjective analysis?
However, the results are based on a company’s own methodology, meaning rankings depend on the factors selected by the firm and how they are weighted.
Rumavi, the relocation and real estate advisory firm behind the index, said it does not earn commissions from relocation decisions and describes the index as independent.
