A total of 51,284 foreigners became French citizens in 2023, representing a decrease of 17.8 per cent compared to 2022 when the total number of acquisitions was 62,396.
The majority of people who obtained French citizenship did so by declaration. This means that 58.7 per cent of these people acquired citizenship through marriage, descendants and other forms of declaration, Schengen.News reports.
According to data from the Interior Ministry of France, around 53 per cent of nationals who became French citizens did so by naturalization.
These are the top ten nationality groups that were granted French citizenship in 2023:
- Moroccans
- Algerians
- Tunisians
- Russians
- Brits
- Ivorians
- Senegalese
- Cameroonians
- Malagasy (Madagascar)
- Congolese
Maghreb Nationals Remain Top Applicants for French Citizenship
Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians are the three nationality groups that have been the top applicants for French citizenship in 2022 and 2023 as well as the pre-pandemic period (2019).
Despite a drop in interest to obtain citizenship, the countries of origin for most applicants have remained mostly the same as in 2022, as the list follows:
Moroccans
In 2023, 8,017 Moroccan nationals obtained French citizenship. The majority of them did so by decree, meaning they went through the naturalization process – 4,665 compared to 3,352 that became citizens by declaration. The number of Moroccan nationals obtaining French citizenship in 2023 has dropped by 18.3 per cent.
Algerians
The total number of Algerian nationals becoming French citizens reached 6,737 in 2023 – 3,366 by decree and 3,371 by declaration. Compared to 2022, the number of Algerians being granted French citizenship decreased from 8,038 to 6,737 – 16.2 per cent less. In 2019, Algerians were granted citizenship the most, with 9,934 people becoming French citizens.
Tunisians
Tunisians are the third nationality group that was granted citizenship the most in 2023. A total of 3,841 Tunisians became French citizens. Down by 14.1 per cent, the interest of Tunisians to obtain citizenship is also decreasing every year.
Russians
This is the first time that Russian nationals rank so high (fourth) for obtaining French citizenship. In total, 1,558 Russians became French citizens in 2023 – 752 by decree and 806 by declaration. However, compared to 2022, the figure dropped by 3.4 per cent.
Brits
In 2019 and 2022, Brits were the fourth nationality that obtained French citizenship the most. This year, this nationality group was overthrown by Russians who have entered the list of the top five. A total of 1,522 Brits became French citizens in 2023 – 31.1 per cent less than in 2022. The share of Brits obtaining citizenship was pretty much equal – 767 obtained citizenship through decree and 755 through declaration.
Ivorians
A total of 1,465 Ivorian nationals became French citizens in 2023 – 23 per cent less than in 2022. This nationality group mainly obtained French citizenship through decree (1,012), meaning that they got naturalized citizenship.
Senegalese
The trend of obtaining French citizenship among Senegalese nationals has dropped. In 2019, Senegalese were the fifth group that obtained citizenship the most. In 2022, they became the sixth, to further drop to the seventh position in 2023.
A total of 1,458 Senegalese obtained French citizenship in 2023 – down by 22.4 per cent compared to 2022.
Cameroonians
The number of Cameroonian nationals obtaining French citizenship has dropped by 29 per cent – from 1,883 to 1,337. The majority did so by naturalization (979) compared to those by marriage or being descendants (358).
Malagasy (Madagascar)
The Malagasy people have marked a return to this list as 1,274 of them obtained French citizenship in 2023. In pre-pandemic times (2019) Malagasy people were the tenth nationality for most French citizenship obtained. However, in 2022, they did not make it to the list.
This year, Malagasy people are the only nationality that experienced an increase in interest for French citizenship (8.1 per cent).
Congolese
This nationality group has witnessed the biggest drop in applications for French citizenship – 39.6 per cent fewer than in 2022.
A total of 1,149 Congolese obtained French citizenship in 2023, the majority of them through naturalization (952).
