By 
Key figures
- About 5.3 million foreign nationals live in France — around 7.8% of the population ;
- Largest English-speaking communities: UK ~150,000, US ~100,000+, Australian and Canadian smaller ;
- Top regions for English-speaking expats: Île-de-France (Paris), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Dordogne, Bordeaux), the Côte d'Azur, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Lyon) ;
- Brexit triggered a sustained interest from UK applicants for residency — but no surge in arrivals (the pre-Brexit pipeline closed at the end of 2020).
The total foreign population in France
According to INSEE (the French national statistics office), France has roughly 5.3 million foreign nationals resident in the country — about 7.8% of the total population. Adding French citizens born abroad (immigrants who naturalised), the immigrant population reaches around 7 million people, or 10.4% of the population.
The largest national communities by far are from the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), Sub-Saharan Africa, and France's European neighbours (Portugal, Italy, Spain). English-speaking expats represent a smaller share but a visible one in specific regions.
English-speaking expats by nationality
Population estimates from embassy registers and INSEE residency data, indicative for 2026:
| Nationality | Estimated population | Main regions |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ~150,000 | Dordogne, Côte d'Azur, Brittany, Paris |
| United States | ~100,000-150,000 | Paris, Côte d'Azur, Provence |
| Ireland | ~10,000-15,000 | Paris, Brittany, Côte d'Azur |
| Australia | ~10,000 | Paris, Lyon, Côte d'Azur |
| Canada | ~15,000-20,000 | Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux |
| New Zealand | ~3,000 | Paris, alpine regions |
| South Africa | ~5,000 | Paris, Côte d'Azur |
UK numbers stabilised after Brexit: the pre-2021 cohort (around 150,000) is mostly settled and protected by the Withdrawal Agreement ; new UK arrivals after 2021 follow standard non-EU rules and are smaller in number — though demand for the Talent Passport and visitor visas from UK applicants has grown steadily.
Where English-speaking expats settle
Paris and Île-de-France
By far the largest concentration. Around 20-25% of all UK expats in France live in Île-de-France, with American expats even more concentrated (close to half). Paris's appeal: international jobs, English-speaking schools, healthcare, cultural life. The city's reputation cuts both ways — it's also the most expensive place to live in France by a significant margin.
Dordogne and Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Sometimes nicknamed "Little England", the Dordogne is the historic heart of the British retiree community in France. The département alone hosts an estimated 20,000 British residents, with concentrations in towns like Eymet, Saint-Cyprien, Sarlat and Bergerac. The wider Nouvelle-Aquitaine region — including Bordeaux — adds further communities of working-age expats.
Côte d'Azur and Provence
A high-end community of British, American, Russian and other international residents. Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco and inland villages of the Var and Alpes-Maritimes attract retirees, second-home owners, and a smaller working population in luxury, finance and tech.
Brittany and Normandy
Coastal Brittany (Morbihan, Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor) and Normandy (Calvados, Manche) have long-standing British communities, particularly retirees, drawn by ferry and Eurotunnel access to the UK. The pace of life is slower than in the south, the climate cooler, the property prices among France's most reasonable.
Lyon, the Alps and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Lyon hosts a growing English-speaking community working in tech, finance and pharma at the city's international firms. The French Alps (Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Isère) attract British and Irish ski-resort workers, instructors and second-home owners — concentrated around Chamonix, Morzine, Méribel and Val d'Isère.
Other regions
Smaller communities are also visible in Toulouse (around 10,000-15,000 English speakers, drawn by the aerospace industry), Strasbourg (linked to EU institutions), Languedoc-Roussillon (Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales), and the Tarn in the south-west.
Demographics and profile
English-speaking expats in France skew towards three main categories:
- Retirees — particularly British (post-S1 system), drawn to rural Dordogne, Brittany and the Côte d'Azur. Often own property and benefit from bilateral pension agreements ;
- Working-age professionals — Americans, Canadians, Australians and others on Talent Passport, ICT or local-hire contracts. Concentrated in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Sophia-Antipolis and aerospace hubs ;
- Spouses and family-route migrants — typically EU partners or French nationals who married abroad and returned with their family.
Students are a fourth, large but transient, category — France hosts around 400,000 international students at any time, with the UK contributing fewer since Brexit (UK students lost Erasmus access in 2021) and other anglophone countries stable.
Trends since 2020
A few patterns shape the expat picture in 2026:
- Brexit aftermath: a one-time bump in UK arrivals before 31 December 2020 to secure Withdrawal Agreement rights, then a slowdown ; long-term flow more selective ;
- US digital workers: post-2020, a growth in American remote workers basing themselves in Paris, Lyon and the Côte d'Azur. The Talent Passport and visitor visa routes have absorbed much of this demand ;
- Australian and Canadian Working Holiday Visa usage remains stable around 5,000-7,000 entrants per year ;
- Rural revival: post-pandemic, a noticeable shift towards smaller towns and rural regions, particularly in southwest France, where remote workers have settled away from Paris.
For the latest official data, INSEE publishes annual updates at insee.fr. The British, American, Australian and Canadian embassies in Paris also publish community estimates that complement the official statistics.