Waves of departure from the West as a result of the erosion of democracy and the cost of living

Democracy indices, trust surveys, and immigration data indicate a connection between weakening institutions, the cost of living, and loss of trust and citizens leaving Western countries, but remote work, wages, and immigration policies also drive the phenomenon.

Democracy indices, surveys of trust in institutions, and economic analyses indicate that democratic erosion, weakening checks and balances, and capital-government ties are indeed pushing some citizens to emigrate from the West. However, they operate alongside the cost of living, global mobility, and fluctuations in immigration policy. (v-dem.net)

According to an analysis of The Economist,, about four million people left thirty-one Western countries on a permanent or semi-permanent basis in 2024, about 20% more than before the pandemic. At the same time, some countries recorded notable spikes in the departure of citizens, including New Zealand, where the Bureau of Statistics data showed particularly high levels of departure in 2025. In other words, this is not just a normal turnover of students or temporary workers, but a broader phenomenon of outward mobility also on the part of local citizens. (stats.govt.nz)

The link to democratic erosion is not far-fetched. The 2026 V-Dem report states that Western Europe and North America have fallen to their lowest levels in more than fifty years on the liberal democracy index, largely due to the decline in the United States. At the same time, Pew found that in rich countries that have been consistently surveyed, a median of 64% of respondents are dissatisfied with how democracy works, and the OECD found that only 39% on average have confidence in their national government. This picture does not indicate a collapse of Western democracy, but rather an erosion of trust and a sense of representation. (v-dem.net)

Here it is important to be precise about Britain as well. It is not correct to describe it as a dictatorship, nor as an unfree regime: Freedom House still ranks Britain as a “free” country with a score of 92 out of 100. But V-Dem does include Britain among the countries in which a process of measurable weakening of the quality of democracy has been identified. The Institute for Government explained in a comprehensive constitutional report that in Britain a government enjoying a parliamentary majority actually holds a great deal of power, and that the mechanisms for protecting the constitution and oversight are not strong enough. Therefore, the problem is not necessarily a “strong prime minister,” but rather an institutional structure that allows the executive branch to concentrate power even when its leader is not a particularly dominant figure. (Freedom House)

There is also a basis for a link between declining democratic quality and emigration from a country, according to research. Israeli economist Assaf Razin has written that “democratic decline tends to increase out-migration,” because it weakens the chances of institutional recovery and pushes primarily educated and mobile populations to seek a future elsewhere. In other words, when citizens lose confidence that the system will remain open, fair, and efficient, some do not wait for the next election—they simply move to another country. (cepr.org)

Not all price increases are the result of “dictatorship,” but weak institutions, corruption, and capital-government ties can certainly exacerbate the cost of living. The IMF writes that corruption undermines market integrity and distorts competition, and the OECD emphasizes that enforcing strong competition helps ensure lower prices, better quality, and wider choice for consumers. It can therefore be argued that the cost of living in the West is not only the result of global market forces, but also sometimes the erosion of institutions that are supposed to protect competition and the public. (IMF)

And yet, democratic erosion is not the only explanation for the wave of departures. The Economist, It also points to remote work, tax incentives, and the expansion of the “expat economy.” Brookings, for its part, estimated that in the United States, net migration in 2025 would be close to zero or even negative, not only because of political frustration but also because of declining entries, stricter enforcement, and deportation. In New Zealand, a large proportion of those leaving are also drawn to Australia because of higher wages and better economic opportunities. In other words, people are not leaving just because they think democracy has weakened; they are also leaving because they can, because it pays, and because the other country seems more stable or worthwhile. (Brookings)

The revised conclusion is therefore that there is now sufficient evidence that declining trust, weak institutions, concentration of power, corruption and harm to competition add a real impetus to the wave of departure. In the 21st century, the decision to leave a Western country is no longer just a decision about salary or weather; it is increasingly also a vote with your feet on the quality of governance.

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