Asians in France Are an Old Community Thriving Quietly
By Ben Lee | 15 Jun, 2026

Here's what we can glean about the Asian population in a nation that prohibits official distinctions of race in its population statistics.

Any effort to describe the Asian communities of France face a distinctive constraint imposed by an 1872 law prohibiting the French Republic from conducting a census making an official distinction between its citizens in terms of race or religious beliefs.

Despite this, we're able to infer a reasonably clear picture of Asian France.

Lucie Zhang received critical acclaim for her feature film debut in Paris, 13th District (2021). (Kacy Bao / WikiPortraits)

The Asian diaspora in France is estimated to be between 4 and 5 million people, approximately 5.9% to 7.4% of the French population, with significant concentrations in most major urban areas including Ile-de-France (which encompasses Paris), Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Nantes.

The community is diverse and comprises several distinct national-origin groups:

Adam Siao Him Fa is a French figure skater of Mauritian, Vietnamese, and Chinese descent who has won multiple French national titles.  (Phantom Kabocha)

Vietnamese -- The Vietnamese community numbers around 600,000 as of 2025, making it one of the two largest Asian communities in France.  Unlike other overseas Vietnamese communities in the West, the Vietnamese population in France had already been well-established before the Fall of Saigon. They make up over half of the Vietnamese population in Europe, with Paris hosting the oldest overseas Vietnamese community in the Western world, with an estimated 70,000 people of Vietnamese descent within the city limits and another 100,000 in the Ile-de-France region.

The Chinese diaspora in France numbers roughly 600,000 as of 2024.  It's sometimes described as the second largest Asian population of France, possibly in reference to either the Vietnamese or Turkish population as being the largest.  It's impossible to disambiguate these apparent contradictions due to the old law against making ethnic distinctions in official population counts.  Regardless, France is home to Europe's largest overseas Chinese population.

The population of ethnic Khmers in France is estimated at around 80,000 as of 2020, one of the largest Cambodian diaspora communities in the world. The Cambodian community in France has had a presence dating back well before the Vietnam War and the Indochina refugee crisis.

Turkish, Laotian, Indian, and other South and East Asian communities make up the remainder of this large and varied population.

Colonial Era Migration

The colonial relationship between France and Indochina is the foundation of much of France's Asian community.  During World War I, roughly 50,000 Vietnamese were recruited as soldiers or workers by France to help with the war effort. Following the conflict, a large number opted to stay in France, with a majority settling in Paris and working as factory laborers or in service jobs -- forming the first significant Asian community in Paris.

The Vietnamese community in France is viewed as a considerable success in terms of assimilation, generally having retained much of their cultural tradition while being fully integrated into French society. Unlike in the United States, there are no significant population enclaves, a testament to the population's integration.

Social and Economic Characteristics

As in the US, the Asian community in France is often described through the lens of the "model minority" — a perception that carries both flattery and burden. The French Southeast Asian community, while one of the most significant in Europe, is still overlooked in media and advertising. When they do appear, they are subject to outdated and limiting cliches — discreet, hard-working, docile, integrated — and the "model minority" trope reinforces limiting stereotypes and casual discrimination.

At the same time, Asian-owned small businesses have been a significant engine of economic activity, particularly in the Paris region. Since the late 1990s, East Asian migrants have arrived in the former working-class suburbs in the northeast part of the Paris region (such as Aubervilliers, Pantin, La Courneuve, and Bagnolet), where, benefiting from the protection of an ethnic enclave economy, they are seen as economically better positioned than other immigrant groups — a perception that has, at times, made them targets of robbery and resentment.

Anti-Asian Racism and Civic Response

The community has faced persistent discrimination. One advocate declared in 2017 that anti-Asian racism "is finally quite close to anti-Semitism," arguing that the logic of resentment ultimately targets Asian economic autonomy. Only a very few complaints have been made to the courts, due to lack of knowledge about French law, language barriers, and a form of fatalism among victims.

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these pressures sharply.  A 2021 survey found that 50% of Asian-origin respondents reported experiencing verbal or physical attacks in 2020, including shouts of "coronavirus" on public transport and unprovoked beatings. Another study found 91% agreement among Asian French that racism against their communities had intensified, fueled by media portrayals associating the virus with China.

In response, a new generation has organized. Young people of Asian descent — Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, or Chinese — consider themselves French above all, but are acutely aware that they have not always been considered truly French. Unlike their parents' generation, they are armed with the civic conscience and activist tools to combat racism. A Representative Council of Asian Associations of France was created in 2011.

Asians of Prominence

In politics the most celebrated political figure is Fleur Pellerin. Born in Seoul in 1973 and abandoned as an infant, she was adopted by a French couple at six months old. A graduate of the prestigious Ecole nationale d'administration, she became France's first Cabinet-level minister of Asian descent in 2012, serving as minister for small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation, and the digital economy under President Francois Hollande. She later served as Minister of Culture and Communications from 2014 to 2016, before leaving public service to found Korelya Capital, a venture fund promoting Korean investment in French tech startups.

Jean-Vincent Place, born in South Korea and adopted by a French family, served as a senator and junior minister, becoming another notable Korean-born figure in French politics.

in Film and Arts Tran Anh Hung is among France's most acclaimed filmmakers. Born in Da Nang, South Vietnam in 1962, he immigrated to France at age 12 following the fall of Saigon. His second film Cyclo won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1995, and he has gone on to receive international recognition with films including the recent The Taste of Things (2023).

Lucie Zhang, born in 2000, is a French actress of Chinese descent who received critical acclaim for her feature film debut in Paris, 13th District (2021), earning Cesar and Lumieres Award nominations.

In Sports Adam Siao Him Fa, born in 2001 in Bordeaux, is a French figure skater of Mauritian, Vietnamese, and Chinese descent who has become one of the brightest stars in European figure skating, capturing multiple French national titles and achieving top results on the Grand Prix circuit.

Harmony Tan, a French professional tennis player of Cambodian-Vietnamese (ethnic Chinese) descent, gained international attention in 2022 when she defeated Serena Williams in the first round of Wimbledon.

Community in Transition

France's Asian community sits at a pivotal moment. Numerically significant and economically active, it has produced its first national political figures and a growing cohort of artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs. Yet it remains underrepresented in mainstream media and institutions, and faces persistent discrimination that a younger, more assertive generation is increasingly determined to challenge. The tension between France's universalist ideals — which resist ethnic categorization — and the lived reality of its Asian citizens makes this community a fascinating and underreported part of the French national story.