Immigration slows as more leave
Figures from statistics group Insee show net migration is less than a third of its 2006 levels
NET immigration rates have dropped significantly according to latest figures, but largely due to a growing number of people leaving the country.
The latest figures from the statistics group Insee reveal that the net number of people moving to France was 33,000 in 2013, compared to a high of 112,000 in 2006.
Behind this number is a gradual increase in the number of people moving to the country, and a much greater increase in the number of people leaving.
In 2006 France received 193,000 immigrants (164,000 being foreigners) while in 2013 that figure rose to 235,000 (140,000 of them being foreigners)
However in 2006, only 29,000 foreigners left the country, compared with 95,000 in 2013 - a three-fold increase.
The report said that trends towards more short term contracts within the European Union, that saw foreign workers arriving and leaving within a few years, were behind the figures.
Insee also said that the figures for the number of people leaving the country could be partially explained by the number of foreign students choosing to return to their home countries once they had finished their studies.
The number of French leaving the country has also risen, from 138,000 in 2006 to 200,000 in 2013.
People aged between 18-29 account for a large part of the group, going abroad to study or to find their first job, said the report.
Photo: Flickr/Marco Meyer
