MigrantoFrench Diaspora
2.5M French live abroad — 4% of the population of France
French diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 26% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 253094 |
| Spain | 217960 |
| Belgium | 196995 |
| Switzerland | 195100 |
| United Kingdom | 174571 |
| Germany | 155932 |
| Canada | 131039 |
| Portugal | 117183 |
| Italy | 115100 |
| Reunion | 89556 |
| Turkey | 52315 |
| Martinique | 52018 |
| Guadeloupe | 50623 |
| Luxembourg | 49649 |
| New Caledonia | 48935 |
| Israel | 43511 |
| Morocco | 41301 |
| Australia | 40681 |
| Netherlands | 38275 |
| Thailand | 30148 |
| French Guiana | 25829 |
| Poland | 22881 |
| French Polynesia | 22420 |
| Mayotte | 18736 |
| Gabon | 17428 |
| UAE | 16977 |
| Ireland | 15924 |
| Japan | 15078 |
| Senegal | 14719 |
| Sweden | 14381 |
| Romania | 11775 |
| Brazil | 11237 |
| Central African Republic | 10823 |
| Madagascar | 10776 |
| Austria | 10544 |
| Republic of Congo | 10198 |
| China | 10089 |
| Denmark | 10002 |
| Mexico | 9938 |
| Tunisia | 9616 |
| Monaco | 7938 |
| New Zealand | 7445 |
| Norway | 7423 |
| Greece | 7251 |
| Mali | 7061 |
| Chile | 6250 |
| Serbia | 6141 |
| Cameroon | 5968 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 5917 |
| Hungary | 5708 |
| Libya | 5670 |
| Kuwait | 5575 |
| Andorra | 4455 |
| Argentina | 4394 |
| Czech Republic | 4320 |
| Dominican Republic | 4200 |
| Bulgaria | 4154 |
| Colombia | 3574 |
| Venezuela | 3395 |
| Slovakia | 3308 |
| Finland | 3159 |
| South Africa | 3082 |
| Egypt | 2419 |
| Hong Kong | 2367 |
| Malta | 2253 |
| Russia | 2013 |
| Peru | 1804 |
| Panama | 1774 |
| Bahrain | 1715 |
| Taiwan | 1670 |
| Croatia | 1577 |
| Bolivia | 1537 |
| Mauritius | 1532 |
| Benin | 1487 |
| Chad | 1381 |
| Iceland | 1374 |
| Slovenia | 1340 |
| Costa Rica | 1262 |
| Qatar | 1133 |
| Estonia | 978 |
| Cyprus | 964 |
| India | 888 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 886 |
| Togo | 804 |
| Ecuador | 787 |
| Uruguay | 722 |
| Paraguay | 707 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 706 |
| Namibia | 594 |
| Vanuatu | 565 |
| Algeria | 563 |
| Lithuania | 547 |
| Comoros | 477 |
| Haiti | 450 |
| Montenegro | 442 |
| Burundi | 402 |
| Moldova | 357 |
| Eritrea | 341 |
| Cambodia | 311 |
| Sri Lanka | 303 |
| Guatemala | 302 |
| Western Sahara | 290 |
| Ghana | 284 |
| Latvia | 257 |
| Seychelles | 246 |
| Guinea | 229 |
| Cape Verde | 221 |
| El Salvador | 219 |
| Bahamas | 161 |
| Nicaragua | 160 |
| Bosnia | 153 |
| Honduras | 149 |
| Liechtenstein | 138 |
| Maldives | 133 |
| Zambia | 111 |
| Bermuda | 101 |
| Sint Maarten | 97 |
| Mongolia | 91 |
| Dominica | 82 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 66 |
| Puerto Rico | 55 |
| Cuba | 49 |
| Saint Lucia | 49 |
| Cayman Islands | 45 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 43 |
| Liberia | 42 |
| Georgia | 40 |
| San Marino | 32 |
| Bhutan | 31 |
| British Virgin Islands | 30 |
| Greenland | 13 |
| Samoa | 6 |
By region
55% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The French diaspora in numbers
The community in Turkey is growing fastest
The number of French living in Turkey has grown 85% since 2015, from 28.3K to 52.3K.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
3 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Turkey, Australia, Thailand. Turkey climbed from outside the top 20 to #11.
French diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1412768 |
| 1995 | 1628729 |
| 2000 | 1720515 |
| 2005 | 1853671 |
| 2010 | 2040298 |
| 2015 | 2247690 |
| 2020 | 2398187 |
| 2024 | 2545102 |
Largest communities over time
French living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | USA | Spain | Belgium | Switzerland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 160846 | 132349 | 147728 | 99313 | 50575 |
| 1995 | 251923 | 142733 | 149698 | 105573 | 68006 |
| 2000 | 204122 | 153520 | 151704 | 112955 | 90748 |
| 2005 | 196697 | 187208 | 155088 | 126528 | 111713 |
| 2010 | 204225 | 209075 | 173219 | 135578 | 135705 |
| 2015 | 229140 | 199180 | 183005 | 156030 | 150186 |
| 2020 | 232437 | 208191 | 188926 | 175221 | 163882 |
| 2024 | 253094 | 217960 | 196995 | 195100 | 174571 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of French in each country has changed since the selected year
French among immigrants in other countries
Where French make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many French live outside France?
Around 2.5M French live abroad, the world's #30 largest diaspora.
Where do most French abroad live?
Most French live in USA, Spain and Belgium — these three countries account for about 26% of all French living abroad.
Which country has the largest French population outside France?
USA is home to the largest French community abroad — 253.1K people, about 10% of all French living abroad.
What share of the population of France lives abroad?
About 4% of the population of France lives abroad — that's 2.5M out of a total population of 68.6M.
Is the French diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of French living abroad has grown from 2.2M to 2.5M, about 13%.
Where does the data on the French diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in France who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in France
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