10 Countries That Send Most Immigrants To France

If you want to learn more about the 10 countries that send most immigrants to France, then you have come to the right place. France is an extremely diverse country, with people of various nationalities living together in peace and harmony. However, that does not mean that the people in the country are very accepting of different people. The French are famous for not liking tourists, though I think that has more to do with rumor than actual fact since I only met people who were willing to help me out in any way possible when I visited the country. Nevertheless, a recent study discovered that France was actually the least tolerant country with respect to homosexuals in Western Europe, with 28.8% stating that they did not want to live next to a homosexual, which is surprising considering that they also legalized gay marriage recently.

Similarly, the population of France has also recently been against the increased immigration. This may be due to the recent phenomena of refugees escaping from their countries to escape persecution, with the majority coming from Syria, which is in the midst of the civil war which has resulted in more than 300,000 deaths. However, the mass migration to Europe has also allowed some people with nefarious purposes to slip through, mainly ISIS. This resulted in the Paris attacks in November 2015, which resulted in the deaths of over 130 people, and led to France closing its border. It is important to note that President Hollande stated that France would still take the 30,000 refugees from Syria that it had pledged to take before the attacks took place.

The memory of the attack still lingers in the minds of the French population and has led to hostility from the nationals towards the immigrants. Now, a majority of the French have a negative opinion about immigrants in their country, with 57% stating that they believed there were too many in the country. The reason behind this thought process is that many believed the immigrants would not be able to integrate into society, a concern which is probably mainly for Muslim immigrants, who often have a poor record of accepting the culture of the country to which they move. Others were concerned that terrorists pretending to be refugees would be able to easily access the country and further their agenda through attacks, which is again a valid concern keeping the November attacks in mind.

Currently, 12.3% of the French population is foreign-born, and despite all the hysteria regarding Muslim immigrants, a large percentage of the foreign-born population is actually from other European countries. Furthermore, the foreign-born population is increasing not just because more people are moving to the country, but because a large percentage of French also move to other countries.

Unfortunately, there are few recent studies about the immigrant population in France. This is why we had to rely on a 2013 survey conducted by France’s National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies Measuring, which determined the nationality of the people who migrated to France in 2012. Like we mentioned, most of the immigrants were from European countries, though if a new survey was to take place, Syria might also be one of the countries that send the most immigrants to France. On the other hand, if you want to learn about the immigrant populations of other countries, you might be interested in 10 Countries that Send the Most Immigrants to Australia. Now, let’s see the list of countries that send most immigrants to France.

8. China

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 3%

Due to China’s rapidly developing economy, a lot of Chinese people became extremely wealthy in the last several years, which in turn saw the able to afford a better standard of living than offered in their country. This led to many of them moving to various European countries, including France. They were recently in the news for protesting against street crime which mainly targets immigrants.

8. Belgium

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 3%

While a large number of Belgians move to France, it seems that the relationship between the countries is now cooling off, as evidenced by Belgium reintroducing border controls with France to ensure that refugees who are in France’s infamous ‘Jungle’ camp are not able to enter Belgium via its border with France.

8. Romania

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 3%

Migration from Romania to France is a recent phenomenon, which is why they only make up a small population of the total immigrant population in France. However, Romanians have suffered from a poor reputation, and in 2011, several Romanians were deported after they were found to be behind a vast majority of street crimes in Paris. The situation is so severe that documentaries have been made showing the plight of Romanians and how they are treated by the French population.

6. Germany

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 4%

We are continuing our list of countries that send most immigrants to France with Germany and Germans that mostly reside in Paris or the South of France and generally move to get a better job than they would have gotten in their own country. The standard of living in both countries is extremely high so that is unlikely to have been a factor.

6. Italy

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 4%

While immigration between the two countries has been a continuous process from medieval times, proper migration from Italy to France began after World War I. The war decimated the French population which was extremely short on workforce and hence, encouraged Italians to move to the country, who obliged. Initially, only Italians from Northern Italy moved to France, but after World War II, Italians from the South also began moving to France. That’s why Italy ranked 6th on our list of countries that send most immigrants to France.

4. United Kingdom

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 5%

British migration to France has increased significantly since the 1990s. However, there is a chance that this may now decrease ever since Britain decided to exit the European Union, which in turn may affect the relations between the countries. However, this may backfire for France as well, as the United Kingdom has been considering the construction of a wall along its border with France, in order to ensure that the refugees or illegal immigrants in France are not able to enter the UK with ease. Let’s see what’s next on our list of countries that send most immigrants to France.

4. Spain

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 5%

I wasn’t kidding when I said that the countries that send the most immigrants to France are primarily located in Europe. The Spanish have been moving to France for several decades, and now the number is in excess of 100,000, even though the Spanish government has done little to support the Spaniards living in France. The number of people immigrating has increased in recent years after Spain, one of the countries that send most immigrants to France, was caught in the European Debt Crisis and was unable to bail out its banks on its own. The French have shown support towards immigrants from Spain, which is probably due to the fact that the cultures of the two countries are similar.

2. Algeria

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 7%

Another former colony of France, Algeria also took advantage of this fact with many Algerians moving to France from the 1960s to the present in order to enjoy a better standard of living. Whether they have managed to achieve this or not is another question. France’s rule over Algeria culminated in a war where over a million lives were lost, which has led to bitterness between the residents of the two countries. However, while that was in the past, Algerians are still treated as foreigners even if they have been residing for years in the country. This is because the decades of French rule established Algerians as lower class people, which is why they often face discrimination which has led to a lack of jobs, housing, lack of access to good schools and few chances of any future advancement.

2. Morocco

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 7%

France and Morocco have an old relationship, due to France’s colonial rule of the country. This relationship presented Moroccans an opportunity to move to France in the 1960s, due to France having excellent economic conditions which allowed people in the country to enjoy a high standard of living. However, French Moroccans have integrated well into France, and a survey showed that 60% frequently interacted with locals in France. Another way they embraced French culture was becoming less religious, with French-Moroccans not being very likely to go to the mosque. Less than a third reported praying around once a week when Islam stipulates five prayers daily.Now, let’s see the number one on our list of countries that send most immigrants to France.

1. Portugal

Percentage of entrants to France in 2012: 8%

With 8% of the total entrants to France in 2012, it is not surprising that Portugal tops the list of countries that send most immigrants to France. Most people from Portugal move to France because of its better economy, which in turn means a greater chance of getting jobs. Often, people from Portugal move to France after getting a degree in order to get a well-paying job, while others move and engage in jobs that require a lot of hard work, such as the construction industry. These people are known as hard workers in France. This is in stark contrast to the past, namely the ’60s and ’70s when people from Portugal moved to France to escape the dictatorial regime as well as wars with former colonies.