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Sources and method
Every figure on this site links to the document or report it comes from. We prefer official statistics (INSEE, the Interior Ministry, the Senate, Eurostat) and use press reports only where no official figure exists, labelling them as secondary. Where sources disagree, both figures are shown.
Which sources does this site use?
| Topic | Main sources |
|---|---|
| Immigrant and descendant population | INSEE (French national statistics office), INED's Trajectories and Origins survey (TeO2) |
| Residence permits, asylum, removals | Interior Ministry (DGEF), OFPRA, Eurostat, EUAA |
| Riots: arrests, damage, injuries | Interior Ministry statements, Senate inquiry report on the 2023 riots, Justice Ministry, prefectures |
| Riot costs | France Assureurs (insurers' federation), Senate, government estimates |
| Laws and court decisions | Légifrance, Conseil constitutionnel, Cour de cassation, National Assembly and Senate reports |
| Europe | Eurostat, EUAA, Frontex, OECD International Migration Outlook, national statistics offices |
| Projections | INSEE population projections, Pew Research Center, published demographers |
| Recent events | AFP, franceinfo, France 24, ICI (France Bleu), Le Monde, Le Figaro, Public Sénat |
How are key terms defined?
- Immigrant: a person born abroad who was not French at birth (INSEE). A person who becomes French stays counted as an immigrant.
- Foreigner: a person living in France without French nationality. Some foreigners were born in France.
- Descendant of an immigrant: a person born in France with at least one immigrant parent. Many have one French-born parent, and most are French citizens.
- Arrest (interpellation): a person stopped by police. Not everyone arrested is held in custody (garde à vue), charged or convicted.
- OQTF: an order to leave French territory (obligation de quitter le territoire français).
Why do figures differ between sources?
Riot figures change hour by hour while events are under way, and early counts are revised. Arrest totals may count police only, or police and gendarmerie together, and may cover different periods. For the 2023 riots, the share of French nationals among those arrested is given as 78–79%, 90% or 71% depending on the document. This site shows each figure with its source rather than choosing one.
Immigration figures also differ by definition (immigrant, foreign-born, foreigner) and by year. INSEE notes that part of the rise in its 2023–24 immigrant count reflects a change in census method.
What does this site not know?
France does not record the ethnicity or religion of people arrested or convicted. Statements about the origin of rioters can only rest on nationality data, local official statements or surveys. Figures for the October 2026 riots are provisional until the Interior Ministry publishes final totals.
How is the illustrative projection built?
The population projections page includes a simple model with stated assumptions: net migration, fertility, and the share of births to immigrant parents. It is a calculation to show how the result depends on those assumptions. It is not an official forecast.
How is the site updated?
Each page shows the date it was last updated. Figures for developing events are dated as reported. Corrections are made when an official source publishes a final or revised figure.