Immigration to France - wikipedia Immigration to France A French biometric residence permit issued to non-EU citizens A French residence permit issued to non-EU citizens France received immigrants in successive waves during the 19th and 20th centuries. They were sometimes rapidly assimilated into French culture when European successive post-war governments wanted to promote immigration and so promoted the notion of France as an inclusive nation with universal values stemming from the French Enlightenment. In 2008, the French national institute of statistics INSEE, which has a more restrictive definition of immigration than Eurostat, estimated that 5.3 million foreign - born immigrants and 6.5 million direct descendants of immigrants ( born in France with at least one immigrant parent ) lived in France representing a total of 11.8 million and 19 % of the total population in metropolitan France ( 62.1 million in 2008 ). Among them, about 5.5 million are of European origin, 4 million of Maghrebi ( either Arab - Berber ) origin, 1 million of Sub-saharan African origin and 400,000 of Turkish origin. The region with the largest proportion of immigrants is the Île - de-France ( Greater Paris ), where 40 % of immigrants live. Other regions with important immigrant populations are Rhône - Alpes ( Lyon ) and Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur ( Marseille ). Among the 802,000 newborns in metropolitan France in 2010, 27.3 % had one or both parents foreign - born, and about one quarter ( 23.9 % ) had one parent or both born outside of Europe. Including grandparents, about 40 % of newborns in France between 2006 and 2008 had at least one foreign - born grandparent ( 11 % born in another European country, 16 % born in Maghreb but some have European ancestry and 12 % born in another region of the world ). Contents 1 History 1.1 1945 - 1974 1.2 1974 - today 2 Immigration flows 2.1 By region 2.2 By country 3 The immigrant population 4 Posted Workers of Europe 5 Immigration per region 5.1 Île - de-France 6 Ethnic groups 6.1 Americans 6.2 Europeans 6.3 Maghrebis 7 Illegal immigration 8 Citizenship 9 Comparison with other European Union countries 10 See also 11 References 12 External links 13 Bibliography History This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( October 2011 ) Successive waves of immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries were rapidly assimilated into French culture. France 's population dynamics began to change in the middle of the 19th century, as France joined the Industrial Revolution. The pace of industrial growth attracted millions of European immigrants over the next century, with especially large numbers arriving from Poland, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. In the wake of the First World War, in which France suffered six million casualties, significant numbers of workers from French colonies came. By 1930, the Paris region alone had a North African Muslim population of 70,000. 1945 - 1974 Right after the Second World War, immigration to France significantly increased. During the period of reconstruction, France lacked labor, and as a result, the French government was eager to recruit immigrants coming from all over Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Although there was a presence of Vietnamese in France since the late 19th century ( mostly students and workers ), a wave of Vietnamese migrated to the country after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the Geneva Accords, which granted Vietnam its independence from France in 1954. These migrants consisted of those who were loyal to the colonial government and those married to French colonists. Following the partition of Vietnam, students and professionals from South Vietnam continued to arrive in France. Although many initially returned to the country after a few years, as the Vietnam War situation worsened, a majority decided to remain in France and brought their families over as well. This period also saw a significant wave of immigrants from Algeria. As the Algerian War started in 1954, there were already 200,000 Algerian immigrants in France. However, because of the tension between the Algerians and the French, these immigrants were no longer welcome. This conflict between the two sides led to the Paris Massacre of 17 October 1961, when the police used force against an Algerian demonstration on the streets of Paris. After the war, after Algeria gained its independence, the free circulation between France and Algeria was once again allowed, and the number of Algerian immigrants started to increase drastically. From 1962 to 1975, the Algerian immigrant population increased from 350,000 to 700,000. Many of these immigrants were known as the `` harkis, '' and the others were known as the `` pieds - noirs. '' The `` harkis '' were Algerians who supported the French during the Algerian War ; once the war was over, they were deeply resented by other Algerians, and thus had to flee to France. The `` pieds - noirs '' were Europeans settlers who moved to Algeria, but migrated back to France Additionally, the number of Pakistani and Japanese immigrants also increased during this period. There was also a great number of students and workers from former French colonies in Africa. With this massive influx of immigrants, France became an asylum for refugees. According to the convention in Geneva, refugee status was granted to four out of five immigrant applicants. Many of these refugees came from countries in Eastern Europe ( i.e. Hungary ) and Latin America, because they feared the dictatorship in their home countries. Although the majority of immigrants at this time came from rural regions, only 6 % of them were willing to work in agriculture. About two - third of the immigrants worked in mining, steel, construction, and automotive industries. Approximately 12 % of male immigrants and the majority of female immigrants worked in domestic services, restoration, and commerce. Minor and aged immigrants usually worked in craftsmanship and small scale trades. 1974 - today During the 1970s, France simultaneously faced economic crisis and allowed immigrants ( mostly from the Muslim World ) to permanently settle in France with their families and to acquire French citizenship. It resulted in hundreds of thousands of Muslims, especially to the larger cities, living in subsidized public housing and suffering from very high unemployment rates. Immigration flows By region Immigration to France exceeded 200,000 in recent years, as shown in table below. Region 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 % 2016 Europe 80 500 78 660 80 120 79 290 80 330 75 040 88 820 94 580 105 830 46 % ( including from Eastern Europe ) Africa 70 200 66 110 62 340 62 140 63 470 66 480 65 610 66 280 68 640 30 % ( including from Maghreb ) Asia 30 960 30 120 30 520 32 070 30 180 32 960 29 810 32 430 32 060 14 % ( including from China ) America and Oceania 19 810 19 990 20 460 18 770 21 440 20 450 26 270 23 360 23 070 10 % All countries 201 470 194 880 193 440 192 270 195 420 194 930 210 510 216 650 229 600 100 % By country Recent immigrants arriving to France as per 2014 : Country % immigrants arriving to France in 2012 Sovereign states and dependencies of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies Denmark Faroe Islands autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas Gibraltar British Overseas Territory Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Crown dependencies Special areas of internal sovereignty Finland Åland Islands autonomous region subject to the Åland Convention of 1921 Norway Svalbard unincorporated area subject to the Svalbard Treaty United Kingdom Northern Ireland country of the United Kingdom subject to the British - Irish Agreement Oceanic islands within the vicinity of Europe are usually grouped with the continent even though they are not situated on its continental shelf. Some countries completely outside the conventional geographical boundaries of Europe are commonly associated with the continent due to ethnological links. Portugal 8 % United Kingdom 5 % Spain 5 % Italy 4 % Germany 4 % Romania 3 % Belgium 3 % Russia 2 % Switzerland 2 % Poland 2 % Countries and territories of Africa Sovereign states entirely in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea - Bissau Ivory Coast ( Côte d'Ivoire ) Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe partly in Africa France Mayotte Réunion Italy Pantelleria Pelagie Islands Portugal Madeira Spain Canary Islands Ceuta Melilla Plazas de soberanía Yemen Socotra Territories and dependencies Îles Éparses France Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha UK Southern Provinces ( Western Sahara ) States with limited recognition Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland Unclear sovereignty. Algeria 7 % Morocco 7 % Tunisia 3 % Countries and dependencies of Asia Sovereign states Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Cyprus Egypt Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Palestine Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand East Timor ( Timor - Leste ) Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Taiwan Dependencies and special administrative regions Australia Christmas Island Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands China Hong Kong Macau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia British Indian Ocean Territory Turkey 2 % China 3 % Countries and dependencies of North America Sovereign states Entire Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States In part Colombia Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Curaçao Sint Maarten United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Navassa Island Puerto Rico United States Virgin Islands Venezuela Federal Dependencies Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean Caribbean Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Haiti Jamaica Puerto Rico St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago North America Mexico Central America Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies not included. Defined as a semi-autonomous territory. United States 2 % Brazil 2 % The immigrant population In 2014 The National Institute of Statistics ( INSEE, for its acronym in French ) published a study, accordingly the number of Spanish immigrants, Portuguese and Italians in France between 2009 and 2012 has doubled. As determined by the French Institute, this increase resulting from the financial crisis that hit several European countries in that period, has pushed up the number of Europeans settled in France. Statistics on Spanish immigrants in France show a growth of 107 percent between 2009 and 2012, i.e. in this period went from 5300 to 11,000 people. Of the total of 229,000 new foreigners coming to France in 2012, nearly 8 % were Portuguese, British 5 %, Spanish 5 %, Italians 4 %, Germans 4 %, Romanians 3 %, and Belgians 3 %. With the increase of Spanish, Portuguese and Italians in France, the weight of European immigrants arrived in 2012 to 46 percent, while this percentage for African reached 30 %, with a presence in Morocco ( 7 % ), Algeria ( 7 % ) and Tunisia ( 3 % ). Meanwhile, 14 percent of all immigrants who settled in France that year were from Asian countries - 3 % of China and 2 % in Turkey, while in America and Oceania constitute 10 % of Americans and Brazilians accounted for higher percentage, 2 percent each. In 2008, according to The National Institute of Statistics ( INSEE, for its acronym in French ), there were 12 million immigrants and their direct descendants ( 2nd generation ) making up about 20 % of the population. with an immigrant defined as a foreign born person without French citizenship at birth. Without considering citizenship at birth, people not born in metropolitan France and their direct descendants made up 30 % of the population aged 18 -- 50 in metropolitan France in 2008. In 2008, there were 5.3 million immigrants corresponding to 8.5 % of the total population in France ( 63.9 million in 2008 ). 42 % were from Africa ( 30 % from Maghreb and 12 % from Sub-Saharan Africa ), 38 % from Europe ( mainly from Portugal, Italy and Spain ), 14 % from Asia and 5 % from the Americas and Oceania. Of this total, 40 % have assumed French citizenship. In addition, 1.8 million people born in foreign countries ( including 1 million in Maghreb ) with French citizenship at birth were not included in this total. There were also 6.7 million direct descendants of immigrants ( born in France with at least one immigrant parent ) living in France in 2008, corresponding to 11 % of the total population in France. Immigrants aged 18 -- 50 count for 2, 7 millions ( 10 % of population aged 18 -- 50 ) and 5.3 millions for all ages ( 8 % of population ). 2nd Generation aged 18 -- 50 make up 3.1 millions ( 12 % of 18 - 50 ) and 6.5 millions for all ages ( 11 % of population ). The regions with the largest proportion of immigrants and direct descendants of immigrants are the Île - de-France and Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur / Languedoc - Roussillon, where more than one third and one quarter of the inhabitants respectively were either immigrants or direct descendants of immigrants. The table shows immigrants and 2nd generation immigrants by origin in 2008. 3rd generation immigrants, illegal immigrants, as well as ethnic minorities like Black people from the French overseas territories residing in metropolitan France ( 800,000 ), Roms ( 500,000 ) or people born in Maghreb with French citizenship at birth ( about 4 million Maghrebi Jews, Harkis and Pied - Noir including their descendants live in France ) were not taken into account. Immigrants by origin ( 2008 ) in thousands Immigrants 2nd generation Total % Italy 317 920 1 237 10.4 % Portugal 581 660 1 241 10.4 % Spain 257 620 877 7.3 % Other countries from UE27 653 920 1 573 13.2 % Other European countries 224 210 434 3.6 % Europe Total 2 032 3 330 5 362 44.9 % Algeria 713 1 000 1 713 14.3 % Morocco 654 660 1 314 11.0 % Tunisia 235 290 525 4.4 % Maghreb Total 1 602 1 950 3 552 29.7 % Subsaharan Africa 669 570 1 239 10.4 % Turkey 239 220 459 3.8 % SouthEast Asia 163 160 323 2.7 % Other Asian countries 355 210 565 4.7 % America / Oceania 282 170 452 3.8 % Other Regions Total 1 708 1 330 3 038 25.4 % Total 5 342 6 610 11 952 100.00 % In 2005, 18.1 % of young people under 18 were of foreign origin ( at least one immigrant parent ) in France including 13.5 % of non-European origin. Ile - de-France has the highest proportion at about 37 %. People under 18 of Maghrebi, Sub-saharian and Turkish origin became a majority in several cities of Ile - de-France ( Clichy - sous - Bois, Mantes - la - Jolie, Grigny, Saint - Denis, Les Mureaux, Saint - Ouen, Sarcelles, Pierrefitte - sur - Seine, Garges - lès - Gonesse, Aubervilliers, Stains, Gennevilliers et Épinay - sur - Seine ) and in several arrondissements of Marseilles. In Grigny, 31 % of young people are of Sub-saharian origin. Children of immigrants under 18 by origin ( 2005 ) % Maghreb 38 Europe 27 Sub-saharan Africa 16 Others 19 Total 100 Between 2006 and 2008 about 40 % of newborns in France had at least one foreign - born grandparent ( 11 % born in another European country, 16 % born in Maghreb and 12 % born in another region of the world ). In 2010, 27.3 % of the 802,000 newborns in metropolitan France had at least one foreign - born parent. About one quarter ( 24 % ) of all the newborns had at least one parent born outside of Europe including about 17 % from Africa ( 11 % from Maghreb and 6 % from Subsaharan Africa ). Posted workers of Europe Regarding the country of origin of `` posted workers '', the same document states the origin of the posted workers : Poles represent the largest contingent of employees posted to France ( 18 % of the total ), followed by the Portuguese ( 15 % ) and Romania ( 13 % ). The majority of these employees, about 60 % comes from the historical countries of the European Union, but the share from the new Member States `` EU '' is growing very rapidly, and the nationals of countries outside `` EU `` also increases. Immigration per region In France, the three largest cities ( Paris, Lyon and Marseille ) also attract the largest share of immigrants to the country. Île - de-France The region with the largest proportion of immigrants is the Île - de-France ( Greater Paris ), where 40 % of immigrants live. According to INSEE, French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies, responsible for the production and analysis of official statistics in France, about 35 % of people ( 4 millions ) living in Île - de-France, are either immigrant ( 17 % ) or born to at least one immigrant parent ( 18 % ) in 2006. In the city of Paris, 20 % of people living are immigrants and 41.3 % of people under 20 have at least one immigrant parent. Among the young people under 18, 12.1 % are of Maghrebi origin, 9.9 % of Subsaharan African origin ( not including Blacks from French West Indies ) and 4.0 % of South European origin. In département of Seine - Saint - Denis ( population of 1.5 million ), 56.7 % of young under 18 are or foreign origin including 38 % of African origin. Islam is the main religion. Département Immigrants Children under 20 with at least one immigrant parent Number % département % Ile - de-France Number % département % Ile - de-France Paris ( 75 ) 436'576 20 22.4 162'635 41.3 15.4 Seine - Saint - Denis ( 93 ) 394'831 26.5 20.2 234'837 57.1 22.2 Hauts - de-Seine ( 92 ) 250'190 16.3 12.8 124'501 34 11.8 Val - de-Marne ( 94 ) 234'633 18.1 12 127'701 40 12.1 Val - d'Oise ( 95 ) 185'890 16.1 9.5 124'644 38.5 11.8 Yvelines ( 78 ) 161'869 11.6 8.3 98'755 26.4 9.3 Essonne ( 91 ) 150'980 12.6 7.7 94'003 29.6 8.9 Seine - et - Marne ( 77 ) 135'654 10.7 7 90'319 26 8.5 Île - de-France 1'950'623 16.9 100 1'057'394 37.1 100 Reading : 436 576 immigrants live in Paris, representing 20 % of Parisians and 22.4 % of immigrants in Ile - de-France. 162 635 children under 20 with at least one immigrant parent live in Paris, representing 41.3 % of the total of children under 20 in Paris and 15.4 % of the total of children under 20 with at least one immigrant parent in Ile - de-France. Children under 18 with at least one immigrant parent ( 2005 ) Seine - Saint - Denis Paris Val - de-Marne Val - d'Oise France All origins 56.7 % 41.30 % 39.90 % 37.90 % 18.10 % Maghreb 22.0 % 12.1 % 13.2 % 13.0 % 6.9 % Sub-saharan Africa 16.0 % 9.9 % 10.8 % 9.1 % 3.0 % Turkey 2.7 % 0.6 % 1.2 % 3.1 % 1.4 % South Europe 4.0 % 4.0 % 5.5 % 4.8 % 2.6 % Ethnic groups Americans Citizens of the United States of America total more than 100,000 permanent residents in France, Canadians 11,931, followed by Latin Americans are a growing sub-group the most numerous are the Brazilians 44,622, followed by Venezuelans 30,000, Peruvians 22 002, Argentineans 11,899 and Chileans 15,782. Latinos or Latin Americans are increasingly emigrating to France for economic reasons, study, work, family, and sometimes political asylum. Europeans In 2014 The National Institute of Statistics ( INSEE, for its acronym in French ) published a study on Thursday, according to which has doubled the number of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish immigrants in France between 2009 and 2012. According to the French Institute, this increase resulting from the financial crisis that hit several European countries in that period, has pushed up the number of Europeans installed in France. Statistics on Spanish immigrants in France show a growth of 107 percent between 2009 and 2012, i.e. in this period went from 5300 to 11,000 people. Of the total of 229,000 foreigners arriving to France in 2012, nearly 8 % were Portuguese, British 5 %, Spanish 5 %, Italians 4 %, Germans 4 %, Romanians 3 %, and Belgians 3 %. With the increase of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish immigrants to France, the weight of European immigrants arrived in 2012 to 46 percent, while this percentage for African reached 30 %, with a presence in Morocco ( 7 % ), Algeria ( 7 % ) and Tunisia ( 3 % ). Meanwhile, 14 percent of all immigrants who settled in France that year were from Asian countries -- 3 % of China and 2 % in Turkey, while in America and Oceania constitute 10 % of Americans and Brazilians accounted for higher percentage, 2 percent each. Maghrebis French of Maghrebi ( either Arabs or Berbers ) origin in France form the largest ethnic group after French of European origin. According to Michel Tribalat, a researcher at INED, there were 3.5 million people of Maghrebi origin ( with at least one grandparent from Algeria, Morocco or Tunisia ) living in France in 2005 corresponding to 5.8 % of the total French metropolitan population ( 60.7 millions in 2005 ). Maghrebis have settled mainly in the industrial regions in France, especially in the Paris region. Many famous French people like Edith Piaf, Isabelle Adjani, Arnaud Montebourg, Alain Bashung, Dany Boon have Maghrebi ancestry. Below is a table of population of Maghrebi origin in France, numbers are in thousands : Country 1999 2005 % 1999 / 2005 % French population ( 60.7 millions in 2005 ) Algeria 1,577 1,865 + 18.3 % 3.1 % Immigrants 574 679 Born in France 1,003 1,186 Morocco 1,005 1,201 + 19.5 % 2.0 % Immigrants 523 625 Born in France 482 576 Tunisia 417 458 + 9.8 % 0.8 % Immigrants 202 222 Born in France 215 236 Total Maghreb 2,999 3,524 + 17.5 % 5.8 % Immigrants 1 299 1 526 2.5 % Born in France 1 700 1 998 3.3 % In 2005, the percentage of young people under 18 of Maghrebi origin ( at least one immigrant parent ) were about 7 % in Metropolitan France, 12 % in Greater Paris, 13 % in Lyon, 21 % in Perpignan, 22 % in French département of Seine - Saint - Denis, 37 % in 18th arrondissement of Paris and 40 % in several arrondissements of Marseilles. 16 % of newborns in France between 2006 and 2008 have at least one Maghrebi grandparent. According to other sources between 5 and 6 million people of Maghrebi origin live in France corresponding to about 7 - 9 % of the total French metropolitan population. Illegal immigration Illegal immigration to France has developed as the country 's immigration policy has become more rigid. In 2006, The French Ministry of the Interior estimated clandestine immigrants ( `` sans - papiers `` ) in France numbered anywhere between 200,000 and 400,000, also expecting between 80,000 and 100,000 people to enter the country illegally each year. In 2011, 28,000 illegal immigrants were expelled from France. The French government set a goal of 35,000 for 2012. The French government has threatened to withdraw from the Schengen accord in 2009, 2011 and 2012. As of 2016, many undocumented immigrants tried to jump the fences at Calais and board a train or truck heading for Britain. The Home Office has agents working alongside French police and immigration agents to prevent unauthorized people from entering the zone. Citizenship Children born in France to foreign parents are automatically granted French citizenship upon reaching the age of 18. People born abroad and living in France can acquire French citizenship if they satisfy certain conditions. In 2009 the number of naturalised persons was 135,000, mainly from Maghreb ( 41.2 % ). Naturalisations by origin 2000 2005 2009 % Total 2009 Africa 84 182 98 453 85 144 62.7 Maghreb 68 185 75 224 56 024 41.2 Sub-Saharan Africa 10 622 15 624 22 214 16.4 Other Africa 5 375 7 605 6 906 5.1 Asia 27 941 26 286 19 494 14.4 South - East Asia 7 265 4 069 2 475 1.8 East Asia 1 139 1 280 1 622 1.2 South Asia 4 246 4 436 3 660 2.7 Middle East 15 291 16 501 11 737 8.6 Europe ( not including CIS ) 22 085 18 072 14 753 10.9 CIS 1 181 2 108 4 704 3.5 CIS ( Europe ) 1 000 1 535 4 454 3.3 CIS ( Asia ) 181 573 250 0.2 America 5 668 6 352 6 677 4.9 North America 1 048 854 747 0.5 South and Central America 4 620 5 498 5 930 4.4 Oceania 87 127 108 0.1 Others 8 882 3 245 4 962 3.7 Total 150 026 154 643 135 842 100 Comparison with other European Union countries According to Eurostat 47.3 million people lived in the European Union in 2010 who were born outside their resident country. This corresponds to 9.4 % of the total EU population. Of these, 31.4 million ( 6.3 % ) were born outside the EU and 16.0 million ( 3.2 % ) were born in another EU member state. The largest absolute numbers of people born outside the EU were in Germany ( 6.4 million ), France ( 5.1 million ), the United Kingdom ( 4.7 million ), Spain ( 4.1 million ), Italy ( 3.2 million ), and the Netherlands ( 1.4 million ). Regarding France, the number of immigrants reported by Eurostat ( 7.1 million ) is higher than the one reported by Insee ( 5.3 million ) because Insee only reports as immigrants people who were born abroad as foreign citizens. Country Total population ( 1000 ) Total Foreign - born ( 1000 ) % Born in other EU state ( 1000 ) % Born in a non EU state ( 1000 ) % EU 27 501,098 47,348 9.4 15,980 3.2 31,368 6.3 Germany 81,802 9,812 12.0 3,396 4.2 6,415 7.8 France 64,716 7,196 11.1 2,118 3.3 5,078 7.8 United Kingdom 62,008 7,012 11.3 2,245 3.6 4,767 7.7 Spain 45,989 6,422 14.0 2,328 5.1 4,094 8.9 Italy 60,340 4,798 8.0 1,592 2.6 3,205 5.3 Netherlands 16,575 1,832 11.1 428 2.6 1,404 8.5 Greece 11,305 1,256 11.1 315 2.8 940 8.3 Sweden 9,340 1,337 14.3 477 5.1 859 9.2 Austria 8,367 1,276 15.2 512 6.1 764 9.1 Belgium ( 2007 ) 10,666 1,380 12.9 695 6.5 685 6.4 Portugal 10,637 793 7.5 191 1.8 602 5.7 Denmark 5,534 500 9.0 152 2.8 348 6.3 See also Demographics of France List of French people of immigrant origin French nationality law List of countries by immigrant population List of sovereign states and dependent territories by fertility rate References ^ Jump up to : Être né en France d'un parent immigré, Insee Première, n ° 1287, mars 2010, Catherine Borrel et Bertrand Lhommeau, Insee Jump up ^ Répartition des immigrés par pays de naissance 2008, Insee, October 2011 ^ Jump up to : Naissances selon le pays de naissance des parents 2010, Insee, septembre 2011 ^ Jump up to : Parents born in overseas territories are considered as born in France. ^ Jump up to : Les immigrés, les descendants d'immigrés et leurs enfants, Pascale Breuil - Genier, Catherine Borrel, Bertrand Lhommeau, Insee 2011 Jump up ^ `` Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 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Jump up ^ Seales, Rebecca ( 10 January 2012 ). `` We kicked out more illegal immigrants than ever before in 2011 : France reveals it deported 33,000 people in just 12 months ''. Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` France to increase expulsions of illegal immigrants ''. Le Figaro. 02 / 08 / 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Check date values in : date = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` In Calais, Illegal Migrants Driven Underground ''. Time. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` The ' French dream ' of Tunisia 's illegal immigrants ''. France 24. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ Whitehead, Tom ( 8 December 2011 ). `` Illegals immigrants can exploit ' Lille loophole ' to get in to UK on Eurostar ''. Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` France : Record Number Of Illegal Immigrants Expelled ''. Huffington Post. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Nicolas Sarkozy threatens French pullout of visa - free zone ''. The Economic Times. 2012 - 03 - 11. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Sarkozy intensifies anti-immigration rhetoric ''. DW. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ Calais migrants : How is the UK - France border policed ? BBC, 3 March 2016 Jump up ^ 6.5 % of the EU population are foreigners and 9.4 % are born abroad Archived 28 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine., Eurostat, Katya VASILEVA, 34 / 2011. External links Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration ( OFII ) Foreigners - Immigrants, INSEE Les immigrés en France, Autorité de la statistique publique, 2011 Focus - Migration : France 2005 Le film : deux siècles d'histoire de l'immigration en France De 1945 à 1975 Bibliography Antonio Bechelloni, Michel Dreyfus, Pierre Milza ( eds ), L'intégration italienne en France. Un siècle de présence italienne dans trois régions françaises ( 1880 - 1980 ), Bruxelles, Complexe, 1995. Rogers Brubaker, Citizenship and Nationhood in France and Germany, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1992. Marie - Claude Blanc - Chaléard, Les Italiens dans l'Est parisien : Une histoire d'intégration ( 1880 - 1960 ), Rome, École Française de Rome, 2000. Emmanuel Blanchard, La police parisienne et les Algériens, 1944 - 1962, Paris, Nouveau Monde Éditions, 2011. Stéphane Dufoix, Politiques d'exil : Hongrois, Polonais et Tchécoslovaques en France après 1945, Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 2002. Jean - Philippe Dedieu, La parole immigrée. Les migrants africains dans l'espace public en France ( 1960 - 1995 ), Paris, Klincksieck, 2012. Freundschuh, Aaron. The Courtesan and the Gigolo : The Murders in the Rue Montaigne and the Dark Side of Empire in Nineteenth - Century Paris. Stanford University Press, 2017. Yvan Gastaut, L'immigration et l'opinion en France sous la Ve République, Paris, Seuil, 2000. Abdellali Hajjat, Les frontières de l ' `` identité nationale ''. L'injonction à l'assimilation en France métropolitaine et coloniale, Paris, La Découverte, 2012. Goebel, Michael. Anti-Imperial Metropolis : Interwar Paris and the Seeds of Third World Nationalism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015. excerpts Nancy L. Green, Les Travailleurs immigrés juifs à la Belle époque. Le ' ' Pletzl ' ' de Paris, Paris, Fayard, 1985. Donald L. Horowitz, Gérard Noiriel ( eds ), Immigrants in Two Democracies : French and American Experience, New York, New York University press, 1992. Gregory Mann, Native Sons. West African Veterans and France in the Twentieth Century, Durham, Duke University Press, 2006. Gérard Noiriel, Le Creuset français. Histoire de l'immigration XIXe - XXe, Paris, Le Seuil, 1988. Gérard Noiriel, Réfugiés et sans - papiers. La République face au droit d'asile. XIXe - XXe, Paris, Hachette littératures, 1998. Janine Ponty, Polonais méconnus. Histoire des travailleurs immigrés en France dans l'entre - deux - guerres, Paris, Publications de la Sorbonne, 1988. Judith Rainhorn, Paris, New York. Des migrants italiens ( années 1880 -- années 1930 ), Paris, CNRS Éditions, 2005. Philippe Rygiel, Destins immigrés : Cher 1920 - 1980, trajectoires d'immigrés d'Europe, Besançon, Presses universitaires franc - comtoises, 2001. Ralph Schor, Histoire de l'immigration en France de la fin du XIXe à nos jours, Paris, Armand Colin, 1996. Alexis Spire, Étrangers à la carte. L'administration de l'immigration en France, 1945 - 1975, Paris, Grasset, 2005. Benjamin Stora, Ils venaient d'Algérie : L'immigration algérienne en France ( 1912 - 1992 ), Paris, Fayard, 1992. Vincent Viet, La France immigrée. Construction d'une politique ( 1914 - 1997 ), Paris, Fayard, 1998. Patrick Weil, La France et ses étrangers : L'aventure d'une politique de l'immigration de 1938 à nos jours, Paris, Gallimard, 2005. Patrick Weil, Qu'est - ce qu'un Français ? Histoire de la nationalité française depuis la Révolution, Paris, Grasset, 2002. Patrick Weil, Immigration, Intégration, discrimination, Paris, Le Seuil, 2005. Claire Zalc, Melting Shops. Une histoire des commerçants étrangers en France, Paris, Perrin, 2010. Immigration to France from the Americas North America Americans Canadians Mexicans South America Argentines Brazilians in French Guiana Chileans Colombians Ecuadorians Peruvians Venezuelans Uruguayans Migration to France from Europe Central Europe Czech German Polish Swiss Eastern Europe Russians Chechen Northern Europe Southeast Europe Bulgarian Greek Macedonian Romanian Serbian Southern Europe Italian Portuguese Spanish Western Europe Belgian British Migration to France from Asia East Asia Chinese in Paris Japanese ( in Paris ) Korean South Asia Tamil Pakistani Indian Sri Lankan Southeast Asia Filipino Vietnamese ( in Paris ) Laotian Cambodian West Asia Arab Armenian Assyrian Azerbaijanis Iranian Georgian Kurd Syrian Lebanese Turkish in Paris Immigration to France From Europe Belgians Britons Bulgarians Czech Germans Greeks Italians Macedonians Poles Portuguese Romanians Russians Chechens Serbs Spaniards Swiss From North America Americans African Americans Canadians Cubans Haitians Mexicans From South America Argentines Brazilians Chileans Colombians Ecuadorians Peruvians Uruguayans From Asia By ethnicity Arabs Azerbaijanis Assyrians Kurds Tamils By country Armenians Azerbaijanis Cambodians Chinese Filipinos Georgians Indians Iranians Japanese Koreans Laotians Lebanese Pakistanis Sri Lankans Syrians Turks Vietnamese From Africa By ethnicity Arabs Berbers Black Africans By country Algerians Angolans Beninese Bissau - Guineans Cameroonians Cape Verdeans Comorians Congolese Gabonese Ghanaians Guineans Ivorians Malagasy Malians Mauritanians Mauritians Moroccans Senegalese Togolese Tunisians See also Demographics of France Immigration to Europe By target country Austria Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Italy Malta Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Spain Sweden Politics and legislation Asylum in the European Union European Asylum Curriculum Immigration Policy 2.0 Opposition to immigration From Africa African immigrants Migrants ' African routes France Greece Lithuania Norway Sweden Switzerland Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Immigration_to_France&oldid=812271015 '' Categories : Demographics of France Immigration to France Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Portuguese - language sources ( pt ) CS1 errors : dates All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from May 2016 Use dmy dates from March 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Articles to be expanded from October 2011 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 27 November 2017, at 00 : 30. 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Question: where do most immigrants in france come from
Answer: Portugal