What is the term for the process where people leave a specific area?

The term that describes the process where people leave a specific area is depopulation. This refers specifically to the decrease in population in a particular region due to various factors, such as economic decline, lack of job opportunities, natural disasters, or political instability. When the population declines, it often indicates that more individuals are exiting the area than those moving in.

Urbanization is related but involves the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas rather than the act of leaving an area. Migration generally refers to the movement of individuals from one location to another in a broader context, which can include both leaving one area and moving to another. Repopulation refers to the process of bringing residents back or increasing the population of a previously depopulated area, which is the opposite of what depopulation describes.