Historical chart and dataset showing France refugee statistics by year from 1960 to 2023.

The total number of refugees in France has gradually increased for more than ten years. Since the 20th century, France has been considered an important host country for immigrants. During the past century, the country welcomed political refugees, immigrants from other European nations, and immigrants from the former French territories in Africa. The distribution of refugees in France and Europe More recently, the refugee crisis has partly shaped immigration in France. In 2023, there were ******* asylum applications in the country, compared to nearly ****** in 2008. Since 2015, the European Union (EU) has implemented the Relocation Scheme, which transfers persons needing international protection from one Member State to another. With most immigrants using the Mediterranean Route to reach Europe, France relocated ***** refugees from Greece and Italy in 2018, while Germany keeps being the European country to host most refugees in Europe. Refugees worldwide Migration is a common challenge for the members of the EU. But it is also a worldwide phenomenon. In 2023, Iran was the largest refugee-hosting country with more than *** million refugees. The number of refugees worldwide, whether internally displaced persons or not, has increased since 2013. Ten years later, in 2023, the situation of countries such as South Sudan or Afghanistan has forced millions of people to flee and seek refuge elsewhere.

During the third quarter of 2024, the number of accepted first-instance asylum applications in France was the highest since 2014. Over this period there were 13,455 accepted first-instance asylum applicants in the country. It appears that the number of accepted first-instance asylum applicants has become four times more important since 2014. During the first quarter of 2014, there were 3,380 accepted first-instance asylum applicants in France, compared to more than 13,455 at the end of 2024. These numbers increased sharply since the end of 2020. Since the beginning of the European migrant crisis in 2015, France has received more and more asylum applications. The consequences of the refugee crisis in France Since 2015, more than 268,000 illegal immigrants have taken the Western Mediterranean route to reach the European Union. Consequently, France has seen its total number of asylum applications rising since 2015. In 2023, there were a total of 142,496 asylum applications in the country, compared to 57,337 in 2011, a few years before the European migrant crisis. More than 41,660 refugees successfully qualified for asylum in France in 2021. French public opinion on immigration and welcoming refugees The European migrant crisis has been a sensitive political question not only in France but in all EU. In a survey from 2023, most French citizens declared that they did not think that their country could welcome more immigrants. However, they were also a majority to think that it was France’s responsibility to welcome migrants fleeing war and poverty.

France FR: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data was reported at 337,143.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 304,546.000 Person for 2016. France FR: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data is updated yearly, averaging 161,390.500 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 337,143.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 129,722.000 Person in 1999. France FR: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of asylum is the country where an asylum claim was filed and granted.; ; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Statistics Database, Statistical Yearbook and data files, complemented by statistics on Palestinian refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA as published on its website. Data from UNHCR are available online at: www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html.; Sum;

Asylum Applications in France decreased to 9490 persons in May from 11105 persons in April of 2025. France Asylum Applications - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

France FR: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Origin data was reported at 49.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 54.000 Person for 2016. France FR: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Origin data is updated yearly, averaging 88.500 Person from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 286.000 Person in 2005 and a record low of 15.000 Person in 1995. France FR: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Origin data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of origin generally refers to the nationality or country of citizenship of a claimant.; ; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Statistics Database, Statistical Yearbook and data files, complemented by statistics on Palestinian refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA as published on its website. Data from UNHCR are available online at: www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html.; Sum;

This diagram shows the distribution of migrants admitted under the status of refugee in France in 2023, by country of origin. It appears that almost ***** percent of migrants who were granted the status of refugee were from Syria.

French Polynesia refugee statistics for was 0.00, a 0% increase from .

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<li>French Polynesia refugee statistics for was <strong>0.00</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
</ul>Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of asylum is the country where an asylum claim was filed and granted.

France - Asylum and first time asylum applicants: First time applicant was 130860.00 persons in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Asylum and first time asylum applicants: First time applicant - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, France - Asylum and first time asylum applicants: First time applicant reached a record high of 145055.00 persons in December of 2023 and a record low of 48030.00 persons in December of 2010.

Information about asylum applications lodged in 38 European and 6 non-European countries. Data are broken down by month and origin. Where possible, figures exclude repeat/re-opened asylum applications and applications lodged on appeal or with courts. For some countries, the monthly data are available since 1999 while for others at a later period.

Graph and download economic data for Refugee Population by Country or Territory of Asylum for France (SMPOPREFGFRA) from 1960 to 2023 about refugee, France, World, and population.

According to a survey conducted in 2024, half of French respondents believed refugees did not make a positive contribution to France. On the other hand, ** percent of respondents thought the opposite.

In 2021, the French Ministry of the Interior registered more than ******* asylum applications on French territory, an increase of ** percent compared to 2020. Of these, more than ****** were Afghans fleeing the instability of their country.Following in the ranking wIvory Coast and Bangladesh. Guinea was in fourth place and Turkey came in fifth.

Information about asylum applications lodged in 38 European and 6 non-European countries. Data are broken down by month and origin. Where possible, figures exclude repeat/re-opened asylum applications and applications lodged on appeal or with courts. For some countries, the monthly data are available since 1999 while for others at a later period.

This page presents information on resettlement arrivals of refugees, with or without UNHCR assistance. This dataset is based on Government statistics and, in principle, excludes humanitarian admissions.

What determines whether some asylum seekers are granted refugee status while others are rejected? I draw upon archival records from a representative sample of 4,141 asylum applications filed in France between 1976 and 2016 to provide new evidence on the determinants of asylum decisions. I find that applicants who are Christian (rather than Muslim) are more likely to be granted refugee status, controlling for all other individual characteristics available to the asylum officers making the decisions. However, linking archival records to detailed administrative data, I also show that bureaucrats at the French asylum office stop discriminating after about a year on the job. These findings have implications for strategies to curtail discrimination in courtrooms and administrations.

France - Final decisions on asylum applications: Rejected was 47615.00 persons in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Final decisions on asylum applications: Rejected - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, France - Final decisions on asylum applications: Rejected reached a record high of 52470.00 persons in December of 2019 and a record low of 17800.00 persons in December of 2010.

In 2013, around ****** foreign nationals were granted asylum in France, this number doubled in 2015 with more than ****** grants of asylum. The annual number of successful grants of asylum kept increasing in the following years. By 2023, it reached almost ******.

Asylum seekers in France are not allowed to work for the first six months after applying. However, under specific conditions, some can be entitled to an asylum seeker's allowance, or allocation pour demandeur d'asile (Ada) in French. The amount depends on the asylum seeker's family situation. For instance, for a family of two, the allowance is 10,20 euros per day. Moreover, an additional amount (7,40 euros) may be paid if the asylum seeker has accepted the care offer, has demonstrated a need for accommodation, but has not received free housing. Once an asylum-seeking application has been accepted, the foreign national with refugee status will be entitled to RSA (Revenu de solidarité active), which provides a minimum level of income for people with no means of support, which varies according to household composition.

France - Final decisions on asylum applications was 60720.00 persons in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Final decisions on asylum applications - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, France - Final decisions on asylum applications reached a record high of 67560.00 persons in December of 2021 and a record low of 23080.00 persons in December of 2010.