Rabat – Morocco is the first African destination for French immigrants, with over 14% of French nationals abroad registered at consulates in Africa.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed in a report that the French diaspora abroad is estimated at 3.4 million people dispatched on the five continents, the equivalent of 5% of the French population.
According to the report, about 14% of French expatriates registered by consular authorities are in Africa, including 117,500 in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa and 109,000 in North Africa during the year 2020, where the French community abroad has significantly decreased.
In Morocco, the French community recorded an overall decline of 4.3% since 2020. The figures fell by 5.8% in Rabat, 5.6% in Fez, 4.5% in Marrakech, 3.6% in Casablanca, 3.4% in Tangier, and 3.3% in Agadir.
In North Africa, the decline is more noticeable in Algeria as it fell by 12%, with a 15% decrease in Algiers, 9.3% in Oran, and 8.1% in Annaba.
In Libya, the presence of the French community declined by 10%, followed by Tunisia (3.6%).
Globally, Africa is the third continent of destination for French emigration; the continent follows Europe with 400,000 in the EU zone and 350,000 outside the EU, and North America (275,000, including nearly 100,000 in Canada).
Meanwhile, the Middle East and Asia Oceania count around 150,000 of French nationals each.
Worldwide, French people abroad, both active and retired, generally travel to Switzerland, the USA, the UK, Belgium and Germany.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, countries such as Senegal, Cambodia, Turkey, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates attracted more French people in 2020, the report concluded.
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