The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just published its report on French people abroad. About 14% of French nationals abroad registered with consulates are in Africa. Morocco is their first destination on the continent.
As every year, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes a report on French people abroad. The Quai d’Orsay estimates the French presence abroad at 3.4 million people on five continents or the equivalent of 5% of the French population. According to the report, around 14% of French people abroad registered with consulates are in Africa, including 117,500 in French-speaking Africa and 109,000 in North Africa in 2020 where the registered French community fell by 6.9% between 2019 and 2020 and now stands at 109,173 (6.5% of registered French nationals abroad). Thus, the French community in Morocco recorded an overall decline of 4.3%. It fell from 5.8% in Rabat, 5.6% in Fez, 4.5% in Marrakech, to 3.6% in Casablanca, 3.4% in Tangier and 3.3% in Agadir.
In North Africa, the decline is more significant on the side of Algeria. This is 12%. The country thus sees its French community drop by 15% in Algiers, 9.3% in Oran and 8.1% in Annaba. If Libya also saw its French community drop by 10%, this ratio posted 3.6% in Tunisia.
In addition, non-French-speaking Africa attracts much less, even if Nigeria (1,177 registered in 2019, 800 in 2020) is France’s fourth African trading partner, after Tunisia and before South Africa (7,300 registered). Africa, therefore, represents the third continent of destination for French emigration after Europe (400,000 in the EU zone and 350,000 outside the EU) and North America (275,000, including nearly 100,000 in Canada). Next, come the Middle East (150,000) and Asia Oceania (150,000).
Morocco at the top of African destinations
The main countries of destination for French “expatriates”, who have both working and retired people, are, in that order, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany. Morocco and Algeria represent the 8th and 11th destinations, Tunisia the 18th, before Senegal (19th), Côte d’Ivoire (22nd) and Madagascar (24th). Thus, on the African continent, the Kingdom is the first country of destination for French emigration. In 2020, the pandemic has reduced their numbers everywhere. Except in Senegal (+1.8%), one of the few countries to attract more French people in 2020 with Cambodia, Turkey, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, according to the report.
