Immigration to Île-de-France

2023 Paris Region (Île-de-France)[1][2]
Country/territory of birth Pop.
France Metropolitan France 9,100,643
Algeria Algeria 364,869
Morocco Morocco 281,066
Portugal Portugal 214,430
Tunisia Tunisia 151,900
Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire 83,671
Guadeloupe 79,711
Mali Mali 77,876
China China 76,529
Senegal Senegal 73,060
Martinique Martinique 72,470
Turkey Turkey 71,926
Italy Italy 59,241
Cameroon Cameroon 54,080
Democratic Republic of the Congo DR Congo 53,434
Romania Romania 53,140
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 48,586
Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo 47,877
Spain Spain 43,509
Haiti Haiti 38,476
Vietnam Vietnam 36,611
India India 36,415
Poland Poland 32,546
Lebanon Lebanon 28,941
Cambodia Cambodia 28,746
Réunion 28,095
Brazil Brazil 24,672
Guinea Guinea 24,360
Pakistan Pakistan 23,554
Madagascar Madagascar 23,417
Serbia Serbia 23,062
Russia Russia 21,635
Germany Germany 20,559
United States United States 19,663
Colombia Colombia 19,002
Mauritius Mauritius 18,847
French Guiana 18,122
United Kingdom United Kingdom 17,890
Comoros Comoros 17,157
United Nations Other countries and territories 953,279

The Île-de-France is a magnet for immigrants, hosting one of the largest concentrations of immigrants in Europe. As of 2006, about 35% of people (4 million) living in the region were either immigrant (17%) or born to at least one immigrant parent (18%).[3] In 2020-2021, about 5 million people, or 41% of the population of Île-de-France, are either immigrants (21%) or have at least one immigrant parent (20%), these figures do not include French people born in Overseas France and their direct descendants.[4]

If the region, primary seat of French political and economic power for centuries, has always attracted immigrants, modern immigration can be traced back to the second half of the 19th century when France emerged as an immigration destination[5] with Eastern European Jews fleeing persecutions, and Southern Europeans (mostly Italians) and Belgians seeking better economic conditions. During the first half of the 20th century, immigrants were mostly Europeans, but after decolonisation, and during the French post-war economic boom, many immigrants came from former French colonies (chiefly the Maghreb and West Africa). At the 2010 census, 23.0% of the total population in the Île-de-France region were born outside of Metropolitan France, up from 19.7% at the 1999 census.[6]

Among these people born outside Metropolitan France, 1,611,989 were immigrants (see definition below the table), making up 14.7% of the region's total population.[7] INSEE estimated that on 1 January 2005, the number of immigrants in the region had reached 1,916,000, making up 16.7% of its total population.[8] This is an increase of 304,000 immigrants in slightly less than six years.

According to a study in 2009, nearly 56% of all newborns in the region in 2007 had at least one parent originated from sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey, Maghreb or Overseas departments and territories of France.[9]

People under 18 of foreign origin

In 2005, 37% of young people under 18 had at least one immigrant parent in Île-de-France, including a quarter of African origin (Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa).[10][11]

People under 18 of Maghrebi, sub-Saharan and Turkish origin became a majority in several cities of the region (Clichy-sous-Bois, Mantes-la-Jolie, Grigny, Saint-Denis, Les Mureaux, Saint-Ouen, Sarcelles, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Garges-lès-Gonesse, Aubervilliers, Stains, Gennevilliers and Épinay-sur-Seine). Young people of Maghrebi origin comprised about 12% of the population of the region, 22% of that of département of the Seine-Saint-Denis district, and 37% of the 18th arrondissement of Paris. In Grigny, 31% of young people are of sub-Saharan origin.[12]

In the département of Seine-Saint-Denis (population 1.5 million), 57% of people under 18 have at least one immigrant parent, including 38% of African origin.

% people under 18 (2005) Paris Seine-Saint-Denis Val-de-Marne Val-d'Oise France
All origins 41.3% 56.7% 39.9% 37.9% 18.1%
Maghreb 12.1% 22.0% 13.2% 13.0% 6.9%
Sub-Saharan Africa 9.9% 16.0% 10.8% 9.1% 3.0%
Turkey 0.6% 2.7% 1.2% 3.1% 1.4%
South Europe 4.0% 4.0% 5.5% 4.8% 2.6%
Place of birth of residents of Île-de-France
(at the 1968, 1975, 1982, 1990, 1999, and 2010 censuses)
CensusBorn in Île-de-FranceBorn in the rest of
Metropolitan France
Born in
Overseas France
Born in foreign
countries with French
citizenship at birth
[a]
Immigrants[b]
201056.2%20.8%1.8%3.5%17.7%
from Europefrom the Maghreb[c]from the rest of Africafrom the rest of the world
4.9%5.2%3.5%4.1%
199955.4%24.9%1.8%3.2%14.7%
from Europefrom the Maghreb[c]from the rest of Africafrom the rest of the world
5.1%4.3%2.2%3.1%
199054.1%26.3%1.9%3.7%14.0%
198252.7%28.4%1.7%3.9%13.3%
197551.7%31.2%1.0%3.9%12.2%
196852.1%33.2%0.5%4.0%10.2%
^aPersons born abroad of one or two French parents, such as Pieds-Noirs, children of French expatriates, and children of dual-citizens.
^bAn immigrant is by French definition a person born in a foreign country and who didn't have French citizenship at birth. Note that an immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still listed as an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.
^cAlgeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Source: INSEE[13][14][15]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ INSEE. "Individus localisés à la région en 2023 - Recensement de la population - Fichiers détail" (in French). Retrieved 2026-08-15.
  2. ↑ INSEE. "Population immigrée par sexe, âge et pays de naissance détaillé (ex IMG1B)" (in French). Retrieved 2026-08-15.
  3. ↑ Les descendants d'immigrés vivant en Île-de-France Archived 2011-10-28 at the Wayback Machine, IAU Idf, Note rapide Société, n° 531
  4. ↑ https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6793282?sommaire=6793391 Localisation des immigrés et des descendants d'immigrés., retrieved 5 May 2023
  5. ↑ Large and dynamic economy with high human rights standards (and extensive social benefits after 1945) and a tradition of assimilation, France has widely been seen as a magnet for immigrants
  6. ↑ "Fichier Données harmonisées des recensements de la population de 1968 à 2010" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "IMG2 – Lieux de naissance à l'étranger selon la nationalité". INSEE (in French). Government of France. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Tableau de synthèse sur le nombre d'étrangers et d'immigrés" (XLS). INSEE (in French). Government of France. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  9. ↑ Bardakdjian-Michau J, Bahuau M, Hurtrel D, et al. (January 2009). "Neonatal screening for sickle cell disease in France". J. Clin. Pathol. 62 (1): 31–3. doi:10.1136/jcp.2008.058867. PMID 19103855.
  10. ↑ Michèle Tribalat, Revue Commentaire, juin 2009, n°127
  11. ↑ Michèle Tribalat, Les yeux grands fermés, Denoël, 2010
  12. ↑ Michèle Tribalat, Immigration et démographie des pays d’accueil, in Christophe Jaffrelot et Christian Lequesne L'Enjeu mondial, Presses de Sciences Po | Annuels 2009, pages 29 à 35
  13. ↑ INSEE. "Fichier Données harmonisées des recensements de la population de 1968 à 2010" (in French). Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  14. ↑ INSEE. "IMG1B – Les immigrés par sexe, âge et pays de naissance" (in French). Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  15. ↑ INSEE. "D_FD_IMG2 – Base France par départements – Lieux de naissance à l'étranger selon la nationalité" (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-06-26.