Insee Première · June 2026 · n° 2107

Migration Flows: Arrivals into the Country Declined in 2024 and Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels

In 2024, 438,000 people arrived in France, including 85,000 born in France, 40,000 foreign‑born French nationals, and 313,000 immigrants. For the second consecutive year, the number of people entering the country decreased, reverting to 2019 levels after four years shaped by the health crisis and the war in Ukraine.

The majority of immigrants arriving in 2024 lived with family. Some came as couples, while others joined a spouse—a situation far more common among female immigrants than male immigrants. Most children arrived with their parents, though 43% were reuniting with a parent already living in France.

Between January 1, 2022, and 2023, France’s population grew by 322,000 people, with 51,000 attributed to natural increase and 271,000 to net migration.

In 2022, net migration of immigrants reached a historic high of 348,000. Against the backdrop of the Ukraine war and the gradual easing of the health crisis, arrivals rose sharply while departures fell significantly. Conversely, net migration of non‑immigrants turned negative again (–78,000), primarily due to a sharp rise in departures as people resumed migration plans delayed by the pandemic.