Immigration to Île-de-France

2019 Census Paris Region (Île-de-France)[1][2]
Country/territory of birth Population
Metropolitan France 9,215,134
Algeria 330,935
Morocco 253,518
Portugal 234,399
Tunisia 127,827
Guadeloupe 81,269
Martinique 75,959
China 71,500
Turkey 67,982
Mali 66,085
Côte d'Ivoire 63,810
Senegal 60,124
Italy 58,141
Romania 53,848
Democratic Republic of Congo 52,449
Spain 45,828
Sri Lanka 45,786
Cameroon 45,370
Republic of the Congo 38,651
Haiti 36,685
Poland 35,871
Vietnam 35,251
Cambodia 30,321
  Réunion 30,077
India 29,623
Serbia 25,632
Lebanon 21,066
Madagascar 21,002
Germany 20,523
Pakistan 20,178
Russia 19,019
Mauritius 18,840
Guinea 18,709
Brazil 17,887
United Kingdom 17,789
United States 17,583
Other countries and territories 857,720

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)
Census Born in Île-de-France Born in the rest of
Metropolitan France
Born in
Overseas France
Born in foreign
countries with French
citizenship at birth
[a]
Immigrants[b]
2010 56.2% 20.8% 1.8% 3.5% 17.7%
from Europe from the Maghreb[c] from the rest of Africa from the rest of the world
4.9% 5.2% 3.5% 4.1%
1999 55.4% 24.9% 1.8% 3.2% 14.7%
from Europe from the Maghreb[c] from the rest of Africa from the rest of the world
5.1% 4.3% 2.2% 3.1%
1990 54.1% 26.3% 1.9% 3.7% 14.0%
1982 52.7% 28.4% 1.7% 3.9% 13.3%
1975 51.7% 31.2% 1.0% 3.9% 12.2%
1968 52.1% 33.2% 0.5% 4.0% 10.2%
^a Persons born abroad of one or two French parents, such as Pieds-Noirs, children of French expatriates, and children of dual-citizens.
^b An 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.
^c Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Source: INSEE[13][14][15]

Notes and references

  1. ^ INSEE. "Individus localisés à la région en 2019 - Recensement de la population - Fichiers détail" (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  2. ^ INSEE. "IMG1B - Population immigrée par sexe, âge et pays de naissance en 2019 - Région d'Île-de-France (11)" (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  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.