Arabs in France are those parts of the

Arab diaspora Arab diaspora (also known as MENA diaspora, as a short version for the Middle East and North Africa diaspora) refers to descendants of the Arab emigrants who, voluntarily or as refugees, emigrated from their native lands to non-Arab countries ...

who have immigrated to France, as well as their descendants. Subgroups include

Algerians in France Algerians in France are people of Algerian descent or nationality living in France. People of Algerian origin account for a large sector of the total population in France. Some immigrated during colonial rule in Algeria starting in the 1920s, ...

Moroccans in France French-Moroccans or Franco-Moroccans or simply (French:Franco-Marocains) are French people of Moroccan descent living in France. People of Moroccan origin account for a large sector of the total immigrant popula ...

, Mauritanians in France, Tunisians in France and Refugees of the Syrian Civil War. This French subgroup of

Arabs in Europe Arabs in Europe are people of Arab descent living in Europe today and over the centuries. Several million Arabs are residents in Europe. The vast majority form part of what is sometimes called the "Arab diaspora", i.e. ethnic Arabs or people d ...

are concentrated in the Maghrebi communities of Paris.

Demographics

French people of Arab and Amazigh/African origin (predominantly from

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

but also some from

Mashreq The Mashriq ( ar, ٱلْمَشْرِق), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is a term used by Arabs to refer to the eastern part of the Arab world, located in Western Asia and eastern North Africa. Poetically the "Place of Sunrise", the n ...

areas of the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

) in France forms the second largest ethnic group after

French people The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially the na ...

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.France's ethnic minorities: To count or not to count
The Economist (2009-03-26). Retrieved on 2013-07-12. 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 Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, but also in Marseille and other places.France's ethnic minorities: To count or not to count
The Economist (2009-03-26). Retrieved on 2013-07-12.

Notable people

Maghrebis

Many notable French people have Maghrebi ancestry since Arabs in France are predominantly Maghrebis.

Politics

Arnaud Montebourg Arnaud Montebourg (; born 30 October 1962) is a French politician, lawyer and entrepreneur who served as the Minister of Industrial Renewal from 2012 to 2014,Minister of the Economy, and candidate for the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...

's presidential nomination *

Azouz Begag Azouz Begag ( ar, عزوز بقاق ) (born 5 February 1957) is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Min ...

, sociologist and politician for various parties, e.g.

Mouvement Démocrate The Democratic Movement (french: link=no, Mouvement démocrate, ; MoDem, ) is a centre to centre-right political party in France that is characterised by a strong pro-European stance. MoDem was founded by François Bayrou to succeed the Uni ...

* Kader Arif, former Minister of Veterans and current

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

* Bariza Khiari, Member of the

French Senate The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 348 senators (''sénateurs'' a ...

(

) *

Myriam El Khomri Myriam El Khomri (born 18 February 1978) is a former French politician of the Socialist Party (PS) who served as Minister of Labour in the government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls from 2015 to 2017. Early life and education El Khomri was b ...

, Minister of Labor (

) * Rachida Dati,

, Mayor of the

7th arrondissement of Paris The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le septième''. The arrondissement, called Palais-Bourbon in a r ...

and former

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

(

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Soci ...

)

Writers

Tahar Ben Jelloun Tahar Ben Jelloun ( ar, الطاهر بن جلون; born in Fes, Morocco, 1 December 1944) is a Moroccan writer. All of his work is written in French although his first language is Darija. He became known for his 1985 novel ''L’Enfant de Sable ...

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

laureate

Media

* Karim Rissouli, TV presenter of political show C politique * Cyril Hannouna,

talk show host Below is a list of talk show hosts, sorted alphabetically by their surnames. __NOTOC__ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z See also * List of game show hosts This is a list o ...

and television personality

Entertainment

Fashion *

Hedi Slimane Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and grand couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he held the position of creative director for Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior S.A., Christian Dior). From 2012 to 2016, he was the ...

, former head designer of Yves Saint-Laurent Cinema *

Tahar Rahim Tahar Rahim (born 4 July 1981) is a Franco-Algerian actor. He is known for his starring role as Malik El Djebena in the 2009 award-winning French movie '' A Prophet'' by Jacques Audiard, FBI Agent Ali Soufan in '' The Looming Tower'', Judas in ...

, actor *

Dany Boon Dany Boon (; born Daniel Farid Hamidou on 26 June 1966) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. Starting out as a comedian during the 1990s, he found success in 2008 as an actor and director in the film comedy ''Welcome to ...

, actor, comedian, and filmmaker *

Hafsia Herzi Hafsia Herzi (born 25 January 1987) is a French actress and film director. She is best known for her debut role in the award-winning Franco-Tunisian feature ''The Secret of the Grain'' for which she won the award for most promising actress at the ...

, actress *

Abdellatif Kechiche Abdellatif Kechiche (; ar, عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian- French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with '' La Faute à Voltaire'', which he also wrote. Known for his ...

, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter;

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

laureate * Roschdy Zem, award-winning actor * Leïla Bekhti, actress *

Ismaël Ferroukhi Ismaël Ferroukhi (born 26 June 1962) is a French- Moroccan film director and screenwriter. Ferroukhi was born in Kenitra. He gained exposure with his 1992 short film ''L'Exposé'', which won the Kodak Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Foll ...

, film director * Kad Merad, award-winning actor, comedian, and film director *

Rachid Bouchareb Rachid Bouchareb (born 1 September 1953) is a French film director and producer. His films are based on the complex history of France and its relationship with its former colony, Algeria. His films also examine racial discrimination and conflic ...

, film director *

Nabil Ayouch Nabil Ayouch (born 1 April 1969) is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival. Early life H ...

, film director and producer *

Sabrina Ouazani Sabrina Ouazani (born 6 December 1988) is a French actress of Algerian descent. She is best known internationally for her performance as Frida in '' Games of Love and Chance'' and as Charlotte Ben Smires in Netflix's hit rom-com series ''The Ho ...

, actress * Jamel Debbouze, actor, comedian, film director * Yasmine Belmadi, actor * Ramzy Bedia, actor * Salim Kéchiouche, actor *

Rayane Bensetti Rayane Bensetti (; born 9 April 1993 in Caluire-et-Cuire) is a French actor. He is well known for being the winner of the fifth season of '' Danse avec les stars'' with the dancer . Early life As a child, he starred in commercials, for exampl ...

, actor Music * L'Algerino *

DJ Mehdi Mehdi Favéris-Essadi (20 January 1977 – 13 September 2011), better known by his stage name DJ Mehdi, was a French hip hop and house music producer and DJ. He was signed to the label Ed Banger Records, founded by his friend Pedro Winter, in ...

Cheb Khaled Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German ...

* Wallen *

Amel Bent Amel Bent Bachir ( ar, آمال بنت بشير; born 21 June 1985) is a French R&B and pop singer who gained fame after reaching the semi-finals of season 2 of French TV singing competition ''Nouvelle Star''. She is best-selling artist to come ...

Amina Annabi Amina Annabi ( ar, أمينة العنابي, Amīna al-ʿAnnābī; born 5 March 1962) is a French-Tunisian singer-songwriter and actress. She finished second in the tied 1991 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Rome, after a countback, scoring equa ...

* Indila * Najoua Belyzel * Kayna Samet *

Lââm Lââm (born 1 September 1971) is a French singer of Tunisian descent. She has sold more than 4,000,000 singles & albums. Biography Lââm (whose real name is LamiaChico Bouchikhi Jalloul "Chico" Bouchikhi ( ar, جلول البوشيخي; born 1954 in Arles) is a musician and a co-founder of the Gipsy Kings. He later left the Gipsy Kings and founded Chico & the Gypsies. Early life Bouchikhi was born in Arles to a Mor ...

Rachid Taha Rachid Taha ( ar, رشيد طه, Latn, ar, Rashīd Ṭāhā, ; 18 September 1958 – 12 September 2018) was an Algerian singer and activist based in France described as "sonically adventurous". His music was influenced by many different styles ...

Faudel Faudel Belloua ( ar, فُضيل بيلوى; born June 6, 1978) is a French raï singer and actor of Algerian descent. He released studio albums, notably '' Baïda'', '' Samra'', ''Un Autre Soleil'' and ''Mundial Corrida'' and the live album '' ...

* DJ Abdel *

Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

Rim'K Abdelkrim Brahmi a.k.a. Rim'K (born 21 June 1978 in Paris, France) is an Algerian–French rapper. Rim'K was raised in the Parisian suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine. His family is originally from Barbacha in Algeria and is mentioned many times in his ...

Mister You Younes Latifi (; ar, يونس لطيفي; born 5 February 1984), better known by his stage name Mister You, is a French rapper of Moroccan descent known for his freestyles. Career Born in Paris, he was raised in the Belleville area of the capita ...

* Niro * Tunisiano * Ali * Médine * La Fouine *

Nessbeal Nabil Sahli (born 16 August 1978), better known by his stage name Nessbeal, is a French rapper. Nessbeal started earlier as NessBeal under which he released his debut studio album '' La mélodie des briques''. At times he has also used NE2S or j ...

* Lacrim * Kamelanc' * Sinik

Sports

Adil Rami Adil Rami (born 27 December 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Troyes, for which he is the captain. Rami began his football career playing for amateur club Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël, then known a ...

, football player for

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...

* Amine Adli *

Amine Harit Amine Harit ( ar, أمين حاريث; born 18 June 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Marseille. Born in France, with Moroccan parents, he plays for the Morocco national team. Club career Nantes H ...

Samir Nasri Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French former professional footballer. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he had also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri was known for his dribbling, ball control ...

, football player for

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

* Mehdi Benatia, football player for Bayern München *

Hatem Ben Arfa Hatem Ben Arfa ( ar, حاتم بن عرفة, ; born 7 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder. Known for his flair and dribbling ability, he is regarded as a fan favorite with a cult follow ...

, football player for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (born 15 March 1985) is a French professional middle-distance runner of Algerian descent who mainly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He has won medals in major international competitions such as the Olympic Ga ...

, middle-distance runner * Bouabdellah Tahri, middle-distance and long-distance runner *

Habib Bellaïd Habib Mohamed Bellaïd (born 28 March 1986) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Born in France, he has represented France at youth level and Algeria at senior level. He was part of the Algeria national squad at the ...

* Houssem Aouar *

Ismaël Bennacer Ismaël Bennacer ( ar, إسماعيل بن ناصر, ʼIsmāʻīl bin Nāṣir; born 1 December 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club AC Milan. Born in France, he represents the Algeria national team. At club l ...

* Kays Ruiz-Atil * Kevin Malcuit *

Matteo Guendouzi Matteo Elias Kenzo Guendouzi Olié (; born 14 April 1999) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille, Marseille and the France national football team, France nation ...

* Mounir Chouiar * Noah Fatar * Rayan Aït-Nouri * Samir Hadji * Samir Malcuit * Younes Belhanda *

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...

, football player on the French National Team *

Karim Benzema Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. ...

, football player on the French National Team * Karim Soltani *

Karim Ziani Karim Koceila Yanis Ziani ( ar, كريم زياني; born 17 August 1982) is an Algerian former professional footballer. He played in different midfield positions but was best known as a playmaker. He is now the sporting director of JS Kabylie. ...

* Yacine Adli *

Yohan Benalouane Yohan Ben Alouane ( ar, يوهان بن علوان, also known as Yohan Benalouane; born 28 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender. Born and brought up in France, Benalouane represented the country as a youth before sw ...

* Younes Kaboul

Mashrekis

Many notable French people are of Mashreki ancestry mainly of Lebanese descent.

Politics

Éric Besson Éric Besson (born 2 April 1958 in Marrakesh) is a French politician and businessman. From 2009 to 2010, he was the Minister of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-Development in the government of François Fillon. He left the Soc ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

Élie Aboud Élie Aboud ( ar, ايلي عبود; born 12 October 1959 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a French-Lebanese politician and doctor. As a member of the National Assembly of France, he represents the 6th circonscription of the Hérault department, and is ...

, Member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

(

) * Henri Jibrayel, Member of the

(

) *

Antoine Karam Antoine Karam (born 21 February 1950, in Cayenne) served as the President of the Regional Council (''Conseil régional'') of French Guiana, a '' région d'outre-mer'' of France, from 1992 to 2010. Karam was born to a Lebanese father and a ...

, French Guiana's representative in the

(

) *

Serge Ayoub Serge Élie Ayoub (born 29 October 1964), also known under the alias ''Batskin'', is a French political activist associated with the far-right and formerly the hooligan movement. Biography Ayoub was born in Bagnolet. His French mother was a ...

Business

Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ar, كارلوس غصن; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman who holds Brazilian and French nationality. Ghosn was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Ni ...

Jacques Saadé Jacques R. Saadé ( ar, جاك سعادة; 7 February 1937 – 24 June 2018) was a French-Lebanese billionaire businessman. He was the founder and chairman of the CMA CGM, a French container transportation and shipping company, the fourth lar ...

Scientists

* André Choulika * Eid Hourany

Journalism

Antoine Sfeir Antoine Sfeir (25 November 1948 – 1 October 2018) was a Franco-Lebanese journalist. Biography Sfeir was the editor of the French journal '' Les Cahiers de l'Orient (Notebooks from the East)'', a quarterly publication devoted to the Arab and ...

Léa Salamé Hala Salamé, known as Léa Salamé (born 27 October 1979), is a Lebanese-born French journalist. Early life Hala Salamé is the daughter of Ghassan Salamé, former Lebanese Minister of Culture and former special advisor to UN Secretary-General K ...

, journalist and political commentator

Architecture

* Nabil Gholam

Writers

Andrée Chedid Andrée Chedid ( ar, أندريه شديد) (20 March 1920 – 6 February 2011), born Andrée Saab Khoury, was an Egyptian-French poet and novelist of Syrian/Lebanese descent. She is the recipient of numerous litera ...

, novelist;

laureate *

Amin Maalouf Amin Maalouf (; ar, أمين معلوف; born 25 February 1949) is a Lebanese-born French"Amin ...

Gilbert Achcar Gilbert Achcar ( ar, جلبير الأشقر; 5 November 1951) is a Lebanese socialist academic and writer. He is a Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University ...

Entertainment

Cinema *

Philippe Aractingi Philippe Aractingi (born 1964, Beirut, Lebanon) is a film director and producer. He was born in Beirut, Aractingi is French people, Franco-Lebanese people, Lebanese. Early life At the age of 8, his father gave him his first camera. He lived on t ...

* Thomas Langmann *

Jean-Pierre Rassam Jean-Pierre Rassam (1942–1985) was a Lebanese-French film producer of the 1970s. He was found dead, age 43, in his suite at the Plaza Athénée, the cause of death being barbiturate overdose, in 1985. Personal life He was in a relationsh ...

* Julien Rassam Music *

Matthieu Chedid Matthieu Chedid (born 21 December 1971), better known by his stage name -M-, is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player. Since 2018, he has been the most awarded artist at the Victoires de la Musique Awards with 13 awards, tied with A ...

* RAmez *

Abdel Rahman El Bacha Abdel Rahman El Bacha ( ar, عبد الرحمن الباشا, born October 23, 1958) is a Lebanese pianist and composer. His repertory includes over fifty concertos and is largely based on the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert ...

Warda Al-Jazairia Warda Al-Jazairia ( ar, وردة الجزائرية; born Warda Mohammed Ftouki (); 22 July 1939 – 17 May 2012) was an Algerian singer. She was well known for her Egyptian Arabic songs and music. Her name was sometimes shortened to just Warda ( ...

* Ibrahim Maalouf * Louis Chedid * Guy Béart Fashion * Reem Acra

Sports

Ali Hallab Ali Hallab (born 4 April 1981 in Mantes-la-Jolie, Yvelines) is a French former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2013, holding the WBO European super bantamweight title from 2012 to 2013. As an amateur, he won the bronze medal at the ...

Rayan Helal Rayan Helal (born 21 January 1999) is a French racing cyclist. He rode in the men's sprint event at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championships for track cyclin ...

William Saliba William Alain André Gabriel Saliba (born 24 March 2001) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Arsenal and the France national team. Club career Saint-Étienne Saliba began playing football at the age of six, ...

References

{{Migration to France from Asia Arab diaspora in Europe Ethnic groups in France Muslim communities in Europe North African diaspora in France Middle Eastern diaspora in France