I've noticed this myself. Not, IMO, so much that they move farther away, but rather that the move is so fast when it occurs.
Not very long ago at all Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Quebec were all strongly religious and Catholic.
They are all now among the most post-Christian countries on earth. This seems to have happened much faster than equivalent movement in Protestant countries like Sweden, England, etc.
To be fair, the movement started for the most part earlier in Protestant countries.
The shift happened in Catholic countries first. France in particular shifted away from religion in the 18th century, so did southern Germany and Austria after the 30 years war. Protestant Germany remained largely Christian until the 19th century, the same can be said for Britain and The Netherlands.
The only countries today where any form of the Christian faith is strong is Poland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Unfortunately these countries have largely stuck with the faith for political reasons. As those political reasons die away, so does the Christian faith. Which of course means their faith isn’t very strong and is little more than an extension of political views.