French people of Arab 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 descent because ethnic statistics are forbidden in France.[1]
Most of the Arabs settled during the period of French economic growth during the 60s and the early 70s, but many immigrants in this period managed to bring their families after 1973. They have settled mainly in the industrial regions in France, especially in the Paris region but also in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Languedoc-Roussillon, Alsace, Rhône-Alpes and Corsica.