Arabs in France
ethnic group
Arabs in France are those parts of the Arab diaspora who have immigrated to France, as well as their descendants. Subgroups include Algerians in France, Moroccans in France, Mauritanians in France, Tunisians in France, Lebanese in France and Refugees of the Syrian Civil War. This French subgroup of Arabs in Europe are concentrated in the Maghrebi communities of Paris.
Demographics
French people of Arab and Amazigh/North African origin (predominantly from Maghreb but also some from Mashreq areas of the Arab world) in France forms the second largest ethnic group after French people of French origin.
There are no official figures concerning the demographics of French people of Arab/African descent because ethnic statistics are forbidden in France.
Most immigration was in 1960 and 1970, a period of economic growth, but many of them managed to bring their families after 1970. They have settled mainly in the industrial regions in France, especially the Paris region, but also in Marseille and other places.
Notable people
Maghrebis
Many notable French people have Maghrebi ancestry since Arabs in France are predominantly Maghrebis.
Politics
Arnaud Montebourg, politician, former Minister of the Economy, and candidate for the Socialist Party's presidential nomination
Azouz Begag, sociologist and politician for various parties, e.g. Mouvement Démocrate
Kader Arif, former Minister of Veterans and current Member of the European Parliament
Bariza Khiari, Member of the French Senate (Socialist Party)
Myriam El Khomri, Minister of Labor (Socialist Party)
Rachida Dati, Member of the European Parliament, Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris and former Minister of Justice (Union for a Popular Movement)
Writers
Tahar Ben Jelloun, Prix Goncourt laureate
Media
Karim Rissouli, TV presenter of political show C politique
Cyril Hannouna, talk show host and television personality
Entertainment
Fashion
Hedi Slimane, former head designer of Yves Saint-Laurent
Cinema
Tahar Rahim, actor
Dany Boon, actor, comedian, and filmmaker
Hafsia Herzi, actress
Abdellatif Kechiche, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter; Palme d'Or laureate
Roschdy Zem, award-winning actor
Leïla Bekhti, actress
Ismaël Ferroukhi, film director
Kad Merad, award-winning actor, comedian, and film director
Rachid Bouchareb, film director
Nabil Ayouch, film director and producer
Sabrina Ouazani, actress
Jamel Debbouze, actor, comedian, film director
Yasmine Belmadi, actor
Ramzy Bedia, actor
Salim Kéchiouche, actor
Rayane Bensetti, actor
Kays Benouadah, actor LGBTQ+ defender
Music
L'Algerino
DJ Mehdi
Nej'
Cheb Khaled
Wallen
Amel Bent
Amina Annabi
Indila
Najoua Belyzel
Kayna Samet
Lââm
Chico Bouchikhi
Rachid Taha
Faudel
DJ Abdel
Freeman
Rim'K
Mister You
Niro
Tunisiano
Ali
Médine
La Fouine
Nessbeal
Lacrim
Kamelanc'
Sinik
Sports
Adil Rami, football player for AC Milan
Amine Adli
Amine Harit
Chaouki Ben Saada
Samir Nasri, football player for Manchester City
Mehdi Benatia, football player for Bayern Munich
Hatem Ben Arfa, football player for Newcastle United
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, middle-distance runner
Bouabdellah Tahri, middle-distance and long-distance runner
Féthi Harek
Habib Bellaïd
Himad Abdelli
Houssem Aouar
Idriss Saadi
Ismaël Bennacer
Ismaël Gharbi
Kays Ruiz-Atil
Kevin Malcuit
Matteo Guendouzi
Mounir Chouiar
Noah Fatar
Ousmane Dembélé
Rayan Aït-Nouri
Samir Hadji
Samir Malcuit
Younes Belhanda
Zinedine Zidane, football player on the France National Team
Jawed Kalai
Karim Benzema, football player on the France National Team
Karim Soltani
Karim Ziani
Kylian Mbappe
Ryad Boudebouz
Wahbi Khazri
Yacine Adli
Yassine Jebbour
Yohan Benalouane
Younes Kaboul
Kaylia Nemour, Olympic gymnast
Samir Aït Saïd, Olympic gymnast
Levantine
Many notable French people are of Levantine ancestry.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Arabs in France” as ethnic group. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as ethnic group. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3026372. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1960 and 1970.
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This entry incorporates text from “Arabs in France” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.