Despite it all, U.S. still place to be for 138 million across globe

These are not the brightest days for the U.S. but a fascinating poll taken by the Gallup organization shows that America is still the place to be.

Gallup found that 138 million people worldwide would like to move to the U.S., more than three times as many as the second choice, the United Kingdom.

The survey found that America is the No. 1 desired destination for people from far-flung corners of the world.

Jon Clifton of Gallup writes that the percentage of people in each country who would like to move to the U.S. permanently is perhaps more interesting. A staggering 37 percent of Liberians say that they would like to relocate to the U.S. permanently. Despite the pull of family and friends and the inevitable patriotic emotions, one in four adults or more in Sierra Leone, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti would also like to move to the U.S. permanently. Some 19 million in China would like to take up residence in the United States.

Three countries with the highest percentages of people who would like to relocate to the U.S. permanently are in Africa, seven are in Central America and the Caribbean, with the remaining country, Cambodia, in Asia, according do Clifton.

Clifton adds this:

“However, other populous countries such as Iran and Pakistan do not have large groups of people who say that they would like to move to the U.S. permanently. Instead, Pakistanis most desire to relocate to Saudi Arabia and the U.K. and Iranians would prefer to move to Jordan or Lebanon. This is not surprising, as Iranians and Pakistanis have some of the lowest U.S. leadership approval ratings in the world.”