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Rabat – Moroccans continue to be among the top five largest foreign communities residing in France.
New data from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) shows that 48.9% of immigrants living in France were born in Africa. Only 30.9% of the migrants living in France were born in Europe.
“The most common countries of birth for immigrants are Algeria (12.4%), Morocco (11.7%, Portugal (7.3%), Tunisia (4.9%), Italy (3.6%), Turkey (3.4%), and Spain (3.1%),” the report said.
The report explained that nearly half of all immigrants originate from one of the countries mentioned above.
INSEE described the immigrant population in France as large, noting that the foreign communities living in the European country represent 8.8% of the total population in 2024. The number compares to 6.5% in 1975 and 4.4% in 1946.
Converging reports identify the Moroccan population at approximately 1 million.
Official data from INSEE in February shows that Moroccan nationals hold 603,482 valid residence permits in France. The number marked a 2.7% increase from 2023. Morocco leads charts in varying immigration categories – including economic immigration.
In France, 10,801 Moroccans who immigrated for economic reasons received permits in 2023. In family-based immigration, Moroccan nationals received 12,05 permits. Morocco also leads in student immigration, with 12,299 permits issued in 2023.
Several reports document Moroccans’ status as the largest foreign student community in France.
Campus France, the agency responsible for promoting higher education, shows that French schools host 42,000 Moroccan students. About 10% of international students in France are Moroccan, with the majority, or 56% of them, choosing multidisciplinary universities.
