How many Canadians live in France - and where?
The geographical spread of Canadian nationals follows a similar pattern to Americans
Canadians are attracted to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, home to cities such as Lyon (pictured)
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Just over 11,500 Canadians live in France, according to the most recent figures available from France’s official statistics body.
Over a third (38.6%) live in Ile-de-France, an Insee report published in June 2024 that uses census data from 2021 shows.
Just over half (52%) of this group live in Paris, representing 20.1% of all Canadians in France.
Ile-de-France is also known as la région parisienne as it centres around the capital city. It is the smallest yet most populated region of metropolitan France.
The Ile-de-France region is itself split into eight departments with Canadians shown as residents as follows:
Paris (75) - 2,318 Canadian residents
Hauts-de-Seine (92) - 647
Yvelines (78) - 381
Val-de-Marne (94) - 330
Seine-et-Marne (77) - 233
Seine-Saint-Denis (93) - 202
Essonne (91) - 194
Val-d'Oise (95) - 151
The geographical spread of Canadian nationals follows a similar pattern to American residents, who are also concentrated in the French capital. Over a quarter (28.2%) of all Americans in France live in Paris.
Most Canadians and Americans in France are aged between 25 - 54 years, with slightly more women than men.
This is in contrast to Britons in France with only 5% of UK nationals opting to make Paris home - they are much more likely to opt for Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Furthermore, over half (54.5%) of British nationals in France are over 55 years old, with slightly more men than women.
Canadians across France
The Insee data shows the number of Canadian living in France as follows:
Ile-de-France – 4,456 Canadian residents
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – 1,563
Occitanie – 1,330
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – 1,089
Nouvelle-Aquitaine – 772
Grand Est – 531
Pays de la Loire – 367
Hauts-de-France – 356
Brittany – 324
Normandy – 265
Centre-Val de Loire – 247
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté – 204
Corsica - Specific figures for Canadian residents are not available
Note that these figures do not include individuals having acquired French nationality within the breakdown of residents by nationality.
The vast majority of Canadians opt for Paris and the surrounding area, however figures show that in 2021, the next most popular destinations were regions in the south and south-east of the country (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur).
Read also: Large increase in Americans buying properties on the Cote d’Azur
The region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is home to 13.5% of all Canadians in France. It is the third largest region in the country and second most populous after Ile-de-France. Major cities include Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne and Annecy.
Methodology notes and definitions
Insee defines residents as: “persons of any nationality who have their principal place of residence in France, with the exception of foreign civil servants and military personnel stationed in France who are non-residents regardless of the duration of their assignment.”
It states that a person needs to have lived in France for at least 12 consecutive months to be counted as a resident.
Read also: Which French departments are most popular with retirees?
Seasonal workers and border workers are not included, and neither are members of the diplomatic corps (however foreign staff of Embassies residing permanently in France are counted).
Tourists and people on short stays in France are not counted in the census.
