Blacks in France

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Total population
Estimates vary from 1.5 - 3.0 million;
it is illegal for the French State to collect data on ethnicity and race.
Regions with significant populations
Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg, Overseas departments and territories of France
French; various African languages, French Creoles and others
Islam, Christianity, others, non-religious

French Blacks or Blacks in France (Noirs en France) are French citizens or residents who are of Black African or Caribbean ancestry.

Population statistics[edit]

Although it is illegal for the French state to collect data on ethnicity and race, a law with its origins in the 1789 revolution and reaffirmed in the constitution of 1958,[1] various population estimates exist. One source states that there are 1.5 million black people in France,[2] while another states 1.865 million, equivalent to just under 4 per cent of the population.[3] An article in the New York Times stated that estimates vary between 3 million and 5 million.[4] It is estimated that four out of five black people in France are of African immigrant origin, with the remainder being chiefly of Caribbean ancestry.[5][6]

Some organizations, such as the Representative Council of France's Black Associations (French: Conseil représentatif des associations noires de France, CRAN), have argued in favour of the introduction of data collection on minority groups but this has been resisted by other organizations and ruling politicians,[7][8] often on the grounds that collecting such statistics goes against France's secular principles and harks back to Vichy-era identity documents.[9] During the 2007 presidential election, however, Nicolas Sarkozy was polled on the issue and stated that he favoured the collection of data on ethnicity.[10] Part of a parliamentary bill which would have permitted the collection of data for the purpose of measuring discrimination was rejected by the Conseil Constitutionnel in November 2007.[1]

A little more than half of blacks in france are christian while muslim representing a strong minority between 20% to 30%

Notable people[edit]

In French politics[edit]

Afro-French members of the French Parliament or government from overseas France[edit]

There have been dozens of Afro-Caribbean or Afro-French MPs representing overseas electoral districts at the French National Assembly or at the French Senate, and several government members.

Afro-French people elected in metropolitan France[edit]

Political activists[edit]

In sports[edit]

In entertainment and media[edit]

European / African descent[edit]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b Oppenheimer, David B. (2008). "Why France needs to collect data on racial a French way". Hastings International and Comparative Law Review 31 (2): 735–752. 
  2. ^ Tagliabue, John (2005-09-21). "French blacks skeptical of race neutrality". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  3. ^ "First French racism poll released". BBC News. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  4. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (2008-06-17). "For blacks in France, Obama's rise is reason to rejoice, and to hope". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  5. ^ Bennhold, Katrin (2006-08-03). "Black anchor fills top spot on French TV". International Herald Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  6. ^ "Franceblack". Retrieved 2010-04-06. 
  7. ^ Louis-Georges, Tin (2008). "Who is afraid of Blacks in France? The Black question: The name taboo, the number taboo". French Politics, Culture & Society 26 (1): 32–44. doi:10.3167/fpcs.2008.260103. 
  8. ^ "Black residents of France say they are discriminated against". International Herald Tribune. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  9. ^ "France's ethnic minorities: To count or not to count". The Economist 390 (8624): 62. 2009-03-28. 
  10. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (2007-02-24). "French presidential candidates divided over race census". The Guardian. p. 25. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  11. ^ Pierre-Yves Lambert, “Conseillers généraux d'origine non-européenne”, Suffrage Universel
  12. ^ Pierre-Yves Lambert, “Maires métropolitains d'origine non-européenne”, Suffrage Universel