Headcount
Nationalities

France

In 2025, 7,000 people of French nationality moved to the UK for a year or more, by the ONS's first estimate.

How UK records count nationals of France in 2025.

On this page

UK counts

2025 · By nationality, as the Home Office records it

These counts can overlap. Never add them together.

Moved to the UK
7,000 people
French nationality, every EU+ arrival type together, for a year or more.
ONS estimate · 2025 (first estimate) [1]
Visas granted
See 5 routes
A visa gives permission to come. It is not an arrival.
Home Office · grants · 2025 [2]
Asylum claims
10 people
People named on initial claims, main applicants and family members. Counted by claim date, not arrival date.
Home Office · 2025 [3]
Small boat arrivals
0 people detected
People detected arriving by small boat across the English Channel. Figures from January 2025 can still be revised.
Home Office · 2025 [4]
Sources (4)
1 ONS, Long-term international migration, year ending December 2025
Figure 8 of the bulletin for EU+ nationalities, every type together. Table 3e of the dataset for nationalities outside the EU+, on a visa.
Published 21 May 2026. Official statistics in development.
2 Home Office, entry clearance visa datasets, year ending June 2026
Entry clearance visas granted, main applicants and family members together, by date of decision.
Published 27 August 2026. Accredited official statistics.
3 Home Office, asylum claims dataset (Asy_D01)
Initial claims, main applicants and family members, by date of claim.
Published 27 August 2026. Accredited official statistics.
4 Home Office, illegal entry routes dataset
Small boat arrivals by nationality, people detected, calendar years from 2018.
Published 27 August 2026. Official statistics.
Visa routes5 routes · 2025

Home Office · grants · 2025

A visa gives permission to come. It is not an arrival.

  • Work visas5,056 grants

    Includes family members of workers, and seasonal and other short work visas.

  • Study visas4,195 grants

    Includes family members of students, and short study visas.

  • Family visas366 grants

    The family route, including refugee family reunion. Not the family members counted in work or study.

  • Safe route visas2 grants

    The BN(O) route and the Ukraine schemes.

  • Other visas326 grants

    All other visas, including EU Settlement Scheme permits and visas for resettled refugees.

Selected visa routes9,619 grants

Added here Work, study, family and safe route grants added up here, 5,056 + 4,195 + 366 + 2. Excludes other visas. Not all visas, and not arrivals.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens did not need a visa to move to the UK until the end of 2020, so their visa figures are close to zero before 2021.

History

Showing Moved to the UK, ONS estimate, people.

French nationality, every EU+ arrival type together, for a year or more.

Options

Sources (1)

ONS, Long-term international migration, year ending December 2025

Country context

These describe country populations, not people who moved to the UK. They do not explain migration.

Population people

France

68,720,337

2025 [1]

UK

69,487,000

2025 [1]

The UK figure is the World Bank's, so both countries come from one source. The ONS estimates the UK population at 69,483,939 on 30 June 2025 (published 1 October 2026).

Life expectancy years at birth, both sexes

France

83.0

2024 [2]

UK

81.4

2024 [2]

GDP per person constant 2021 international dollars

France

55,125

2025 [3]

UK

53,993

2025 [3]

GDP at purchasing power parity, not earnings or household income.

Sources (3)
1 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SP.POP.TOTL
The record for France. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, people.
2 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SP.DYN.LE00.IN
The record for France. Latest observation in the file, 2024. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, years.
3 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.KD
The record for France. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, constant 2021 international dollars.
More contextLiteracy, unemployment and urban population

Adult literacy people aged 15 and over, %

France

Not published

UK

Not published

Unemployment share of the labour force, %

France

7.5%

2025 · Modelled estimate [1]

UK

4.7%

2025 · Modelled estimate [1]

Urban population share of residents, %

France

78.8%

2025 [2]

UK

83.3%

2025 [2]

National definitions differ.

Sources (2)
1 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate).
The record for France. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, % of total labour force.
2 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
Urban population (% of total population).
The record for France. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, % of total population.
ReligionsFrance and the UK

These records describe residents in each country. They do not show the religions of people who moved to the UK.

Not directly comparable. Different sources, years, units and categories.

France

2021 estimate · CIA World Factbook [1]

  • Roman Catholic47%
  • Muslim4%
  • Protestant2%
  • Buddhist2%
  • Orthodox1%
  • None33%

UK

2011 census · UNdata [2]

  • Buddhist261,584 people
  • Christian37,583,962 people
  • Hindu835,418 people
  • Jewish269,568 people
  • Muslim2,786,635 people
  • No Religion16,221,509 people
  • Not Specified4,528,323 people
Sources (2)
1 CIA World Factbook, People and Society, Religions (archived JSON)
The Factbook text reads Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.)
Archive snapshot, 2026 archive. Shares as the Factbook gives them.
2 UNdata, Demographic Statistics Database, population by religion (table 28)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. Counts of people, total area, both sexes.
Census year 2011. UNdata lists it as received in 2014.

Questions people ask

How many people of French nationality moved to the UK in 2025?

In 2025, 7,000 people of French nationality moved to the UK for a year or more, by the ONS's first estimate. Source: ONS, Long-term international migration, year ending December 2025.

How many UK visas were granted to nationals of France in 2025?

In 2025, the Home Office granted 5,056 work, 4,195 study, 366 family, 2 safe route and 326 other visas to nationals of France, counting main applicants and family members. Source: Home Office, entry clearance visa datasets, year ending June 2026.

How many nationals of France claimed asylum in the UK in 2025?

In 2025, 10 nationals of France claimed asylum in the UK, counting main applicants and family members by date of claim. Source: Home Office, asylum claims dataset (Asy_D01).

How many nationals of France arrived in the UK by small boat in 2025?

In 2025, 0 nationals of France were detected arriving in the UK by small boat across the English Channel. Figures from January 2025 can still be revised. Source: Home Office, illegal entry routes dataset.

All nationalitiesThe full A to Z table, with France selected