Which parts of France have the highest (and lowest) rate of burglaries?
The number of recorded home burglaries in France rose three percent to 217,600 in 2023, according to figures from the Interior Ministry. But where in the country has the highest rate?
The overall increase was much smaller than in 2022, when home burglary figures jumped 11 percent – but experts put that high rise down to a steep drop in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid-19 and lockdowns.
In 2020, the number of recorded burglaries plunged 20 percent. The latest figures remain below those recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ ALSO Which towns and cities are the safest in France?
These were the départements with the highest rate of home burglaries as of 2023;
1. Bouches-du-Rhône
A total 11,312 burglaries were recorded in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of southern France, at a rate of 10.7 break-ins per 1,000 inhabitants.
The small commune of Le Tholonet suffered burglaries at a rate of 37.5 per 1,000 people.
2. Gironde
Located in southwest France and home to Bordeaux, this département saw the second highest number of homes burgled, on average.
READ ALSO: How to protect your house in France from burglars
A total 7,968 burglaries were recorded in the département in 2023 – mostly in and around Bordeaux – at a rate of 8.9 incidents per 1,000. When broken down by commune, some areas were hit harder than others. Cestas, for example, saw a rate of 24.6 burglaries per 1,000 inhabitants.
3. Paris
The city of Paris, or département number '75', came in third place for burglaries, with a citywide average of 8.6 offences per 1,000 inhabitants.
However, some arrondissements had higher levels than the average. In the second arrondissement, there were 17.8 such crimes per 1,000 inhabitants. It was followed by the first arrondissement (16.8 per 1,000), the sixth (15.8 per 1,000), the third (15 per 1,000), fifth (14.2 per 1,000), the fourth (13.8 per 1,000) and the eighth (12.4 per 1,000). The arrondissement of Pairs with the lowest rate of burglary as the 11th with 5.7 break-ins per 1,000 inhabitants. The 12th arrondissement had a rate of 6.1.
READ MORE: Is Paris a safe city to visit?
4. Vaucluse
The southeastern département of Vaucluse was next. Although the number of break-ins was relatively small at 2,627, the rate per inhabitant was 8.4 per 1,000 people.
5. Haute-Garonne
Driven notably by break-in figures in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne in the south west was fifth on the list, with 6,247 recorded burglaries in 2023, a rate of 8.3 per 1,000 inhabitants.
6. Rhône
Residents of the Rhône department in central eastern France were the next most likely to report a home burglary – 7,694 crimes of this type were recorded last year, at a rate per 8.1.
These figures are likely to be conservative, the report suggested. Although reporting crimes such as burglary to the police is a requirement of any insurance claim, the report’s authors said that, in 2021, only 54 percent of burglaries from main residences and 31 percent at second homes were properly reported.
What about the areas with the least home burglaries?
At the other end of the scale, households on the island of Corsica were relatively safe.
In Haute-Corse, the burglary rate stood at just 1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023, while, in Corse du Sud, that figure was 1.9.
Rural Lozère, in south-west France, recorded the same low burglary rate as Haute-Corse, while neighbouring Cantal had a rate of 1.6.
Haute-Alpes, another sparsely populated area of south-east France recorded 2.2 burglaries per 1,000 inhabitants.
Comments (1)
See Also
The overall increase was much smaller than in 2022, when home burglary figures jumped 11 percent – but experts put that high rise down to a steep drop in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid-19 and lockdowns.
In 2020, the number of recorded burglaries plunged 20 percent. The latest figures remain below those recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ ALSO Which towns and cities are the safest in France?
These were the départements with the highest rate of home burglaries as of 2023;
1. Bouches-du-Rhône
A total 11,312 burglaries were recorded in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of southern France, at a rate of 10.7 break-ins per 1,000 inhabitants.
The small commune of Le Tholonet suffered burglaries at a rate of 37.5 per 1,000 people.
2. Gironde
Located in southwest France and home to Bordeaux, this département saw the second highest number of homes burgled, on average.
READ ALSO: How to protect your house in France from burglars
A total 7,968 burglaries were recorded in the département in 2023 – mostly in and around Bordeaux – at a rate of 8.9 incidents per 1,000. When broken down by commune, some areas were hit harder than others. Cestas, for example, saw a rate of 24.6 burglaries per 1,000 inhabitants.
3. Paris
The city of Paris, or département number '75', came in third place for burglaries, with a citywide average of 8.6 offences per 1,000 inhabitants.
However, some arrondissements had higher levels than the average. In the second arrondissement, there were 17.8 such crimes per 1,000 inhabitants. It was followed by the first arrondissement (16.8 per 1,000), the sixth (15.8 per 1,000), the third (15 per 1,000), fifth (14.2 per 1,000), the fourth (13.8 per 1,000) and the eighth (12.4 per 1,000). The arrondissement of Pairs with the lowest rate of burglary as the 11th with 5.7 break-ins per 1,000 inhabitants. The 12th arrondissement had a rate of 6.1.
READ MORE: Is Paris a safe city to visit?
4. Vaucluse
The southeastern département of Vaucluse was next. Although the number of break-ins was relatively small at 2,627, the rate per inhabitant was 8.4 per 1,000 people.
5. Haute-Garonne
Driven notably by break-in figures in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne in the south west was fifth on the list, with 6,247 recorded burglaries in 2023, a rate of 8.3 per 1,000 inhabitants.
6. Rhône
Residents of the Rhône department in central eastern France were the next most likely to report a home burglary – 7,694 crimes of this type were recorded last year, at a rate per 8.1.
These figures are likely to be conservative, the report suggested. Although reporting crimes such as burglary to the police is a requirement of any insurance claim, the report’s authors said that, in 2021, only 54 percent of burglaries from main residences and 31 percent at second homes were properly reported.
What about the areas with the least home burglaries?
At the other end of the scale, households on the island of Corsica were relatively safe.
In Haute-Corse, the burglary rate stood at just 1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023, while, in Corse du Sud, that figure was 1.9.
Rural Lozère, in south-west France, recorded the same low burglary rate as Haute-Corse, while neighbouring Cantal had a rate of 1.6.
Haute-Alpes, another sparsely populated area of south-east France recorded 2.2 burglaries per 1,000 inhabitants.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.