Americans in France: 1 in 4 people born in US who move across live in Paris
In contrast less than 6% of British-born and German-born residents live in the capital
One in four residents of Paris were not born in France
mapman / Shutterstock
A quarter of all American-born residents in France live in Paris, a study on the demographics of the French capital reveals.
The data shows that around two-thirds of people living in the capital were not born in Paris, and that one in four residents were not born in France but an overseas country.
The figures come from national statistics body Insee, and cover the 2.1 million inhabitants of Paris’ 20 arrondissements.
The information below shows the city’s population statistics, as of 2020:
Overall population of Paris: 2,146,000
Born in Paris: 637,900 (29.7%)
Born in the Île-de-France region but outside of Paris: 342,700 (16%)
Born elsewhere in France (including overseas territories): 629,400 (29.3%)
Born outside of France: 536,000 (25%)
The overall population of the Île-de-France region is around 12 million.
Many people commute into the city but live outside due to high living costs.
City less popular with those born in Europe (outside of France)
Paris is a popular choice for many non-French citizens, however Europeans generally are based more widely throughout France than other international counterparts.
Read more: Second home US buyers resist French property slump
For example, figures for Asian countries show 32% of French residents born in Japan live in Paris. The equivalent figure is 29% for the Philippines and 19% for China. These numbers far outweigh those born in Europe but outside France.
Only 5.7% of British-born residents in France live in Paris. For those born in Poland, the equivalent figure is 8.2%, it is 6.7% for Serbia, 6.3% for Italy and 5.6% for Germany.
Figures for the Iberian countries are lower, at 4.9% for Spain and 3.9% for Portugal.
The highest three individual countries contributing to the foreign-born population of Paris were Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, making up 150,000, or 28% of the overall population of the city born outside of France.
Read more: MAP: Which areas in France are most popular with second-home owners?
Is capital less attractive for French people?
However, the capital is not as attractive to those born in France but outside of Paris, as it is to those born overseas.
The data from Insee compares the number of people born in each department to determine an ‘attractiveness index’ for those from the ‘province’ moving to the capital, also shown via a percentage.
The capital is generally more attractive to people in departments close to the city, such as Loiret and Yonne where 2.0% of the people born in these departments live in Paris.
Nièvre and Indre-et-Loire (1.9%), Eure-et-Loir (1.8%) and Marne (1.7%) also score highly.
However, the Alpes-Maritimes department is overall the highest outside of the Île-de-France, with an attractiveness rating of 2.04%.
The lowest figures were recorded in Occitanie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Grand-Est regions, where several departments had an index figure of less than 1%.
Full figures can be found on the Insee website, alongside interactive graphs and maps.
Read more: French flat prices in 2024: Did they rise or fall near you?
