In France, 10% of the population is an immigrant, i.e. nearly 7 million people. This is revealed by an Insee study published this Friday, March 31, 2023. Over the 200 pages of the report, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies also paints a portrait of a new type of immigrant. , ie persons born abroad but residing in France.
A third of the French population has a link with immigration. This is the observation drawn up on Thursday March 31 by a demographic study over several generations which offers an unprecedented photograph for a decade in France. The people ” foreign born abroad », were 6.96 million living in France in 2021, i.e. 10.3% of the population. This is proportionally almost twice as much as in 1968, according to the study entitled ” Immigrants and descendants of immigrants in France “.
The origins are diversified. Fifty years ago, immigrants came mainly from southern Europe; they now mostly come from the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa or Asia.
For example, in 2019, of the 272,000 immigrants France welcomed, just under half came from Africa.
Another lesson from this study, this time on the reasons for immigration. Fifteen years ago, more than half of the first residence permits were issued for family reasons, family reunification which allows immigrants to bring some of their relatives to France.
More educated immigrants
In 2021, student immigration will represent the main reason for coming to France for the first time, slightly ahead of family reunification. And as a result, the share of immigrants with a higher education is on the rise.
Finally, on the geographical aspect: immigration is concentrated in the major French cities. According to INSEE, 20% of the Parisian population is an immigrant. A proportion which reaches 33%, or one inhabitant in three, in Seine-Saint-Denis.
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