According to the latest annual immigration statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, in 2025 France issued 384,000 first-time residence permits to non-EU nationals — an increase of more than 11 % compared to 2024.
Overall, close to 4.5 million foreign nationals held valid residence permits at the end of the year, up by around 3% year on year. Student and humanitarian categories drove much of this growth.
British Nationals
Since the UK’s departure from the EU, British citizens arriving or already residing in France must hold formal residency cards (titres de séjour).
In 2025, the number of first-time residence permits to British nationals continued to decline, down to 7,866, an 11% decrease compared to 2024 (8,899), which itself was down from 9,339 in 2023.
The report indicates that there were around 170,000 British nationals holding a residence permit, a figure that is undoubtedly an underestimate of the actual number living in France as it does not include those with dual nationality.
Nevertheless, as visa figures are issued for individuals not households (and children need a residence permit), the number of British households living in France is likely to be under 100,000.
When viewed alongside other reports, the statistics suggest a structural long-term decline in the number of British nationals living in France.
A report published in 2019 by France’s national statistics institute (Insee) found that over the preceding decade, more British retirees aged 65 and over left France than arrived. While many British nationals had continued to move to France earlier in retirement, this pattern reversed during the 2010s, with departures exceeding arrivals in the 65-and-over age group.
Similarly, although figures on the purchase of French property by international buyers is in short-supply, the notaires suggest that since 2020 there are only around 3,000 purchases a year by non-resident British buyers.
The British now account for around 17% of all international buyers, behind Belgians in the international category. In the 2000s, by contrast, over 40% of international buyers in France were from the UK.
Census data also shows that the British population in France peaked in 2011, when 157,800 British nationals were resident. The latest administrative estimate from Insee indicates that in 2021 there were 137,508 British nationals living in France. These figures include children.
If current trends persist, the decline in new arrivals, combined with the age profile of long-term British residents, suggests that the number of UK nationals living in France will continue to fall.
American Nationals
By contrast, American migration to France has been rising in recent years. In 2025 Americans accounted for about twice as many first-time residence permits as British nationals, with roughly 15,000 Americans receiving new permits — a 14 % increase compared to 2024 figures.
However, once again, statistics can be misleading, for over half of the visas were issued to Americans arriving as students.
Administrative records indicate there are around 30,000 US nationals living in France, around 25% of whomn live in Paris.
Americans formed the sixth largest nationality group among new permit holders, following nationals from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Afghanistan and China.
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