A lower number of people wanted to become French citizens in 2023, marking a 21.7 per cent decrease in acquisitions compared to the previous year.
According to data from the French Interior Ministry, the trend of obtaining French citizenship has fluctuated in recent years; in 2021, there was a high demand linked to the pent-up demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of the system for recognising the commitment of foreigners during the pandemic times.
On the other hand, the interest in French citizenship in 2022 returned to regular levels. In 2023, the decline in obtaining French citizenship was driven by acquisitions by decree, which dropped by 33.8 per cent, while the increase of 18.8 per cent was noticed in acquisitions by declaratory means, indicating family reunification cases.
Acquisitions due to marriage have increased by 18.2 per cent but have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Although fewer in number, obtaining acquisitions by the benefit of French ancestors and brothers or sisters of French people continued to increase, up by 25.5 per cent.
Acquisition of French nationality happens in two ways: by the declaration of nationality and by naturalisation. The statement concerns those who are married or have a relationship with a French person, including a descendant, brother, or sister, among others, while naturalization is subject to several conditions, especially the length of their stay in the country.
Data show that naturalisation rates have fluctuated in the last decade, starting at almost 100,000 people being naturalised in 2010 and dropping to some 64,000 in 2012, and even more than the last five years. Since then, naturalisations have increased gradually, except for 2020, which marked the lowest record of naturalisations due to the pandemic, and 2023, which is marking a new all-time low.
However, considering that citizenship acquisitions are becoming more consistent, following a low demand in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pent-up demand in the two following years, naturalisation rates are likely to decrease.
Comparing the data throughout the years, it is evident that 2023 levels are closer to 2020 levels, which is the lowest record in the decade, than to 2012, which is the second lowest, showing that the interest of foreign-born nationals to become French residents is decreasing.
Data further show that 40,064 naturalisations were recorded in 2023 – down by 4.4 per cent compared to 2020 levels. On the other hand, naturalisations by marriage were up by 6.7 per cent, from 18,223 recorded in 2020 to 19,455.
However, naturalisations for French descendants have reached the highest level in 2023 – 2,121, up by 73 per cent compared to 2020.
