Burglaries in France in 2023
26th Sept 2024
A new report provides an insight into burglary levels in each department of France.
According to the Ministry of the Interior (SSMSI), last year there were 217,100 recorded residential burglaries, an increase of 3% compared to 2022.
The increase, although moderate, has been part of an upward trend observed since the end of the Covid crisis. Nevertheless, over the longer period, as the graphic below shows, burglaries are down on the period prior to Covid. The figures in yellow are for residential burglaries and those in blue for all properties.
There are also significant variations between departments. Whilst many departments have seen an increase in crime, in other cases burglaries have fallen. Thus, burglaries fell by 6.4% in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, whilst they rose by 22% in Normandy.
According to the SSMSI, the national burglary rate stands at 5.9 per 1000 dwellings in 2023.
Not surprisingly, urban areas remain the most affected, with an average rate of 7.8 burglaries per 1000 homes in the Paris metropolitan area. The large provincial cities are not spared. They have a rate of 7.6 per 1000 dwellings. In contrast, rural areas are less affected, with only 4.1 burglaries per 1000 dwellings beyond urban boundaries.
The graphic below shows the number of burglaries per 1000 dwellings for each department, ranging from 1.2/1000 to 11.6/1000.
The worst departments are Gironde and the Bouches du Rhône, in which are located the cities of Bordeaux and Marseilles.
The lowest levels are mainly located in the upland areas of the central south, in the departments of Creuse, Corrèze, Cantal, Haut-Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, and Aveyron.
However, as is always the case with such statistics, there is substantial under-reporting of crimes. Surveys undertaken by the government statistical service reveal that only around half of burglary victims file a complaint. Many cases not reported are of a minor nature, or the individual was uninsured and had no incentive to report it to the police.