Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: France

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	The following statistical definition of homelessness is used: people who have spent the previous night in a place not intended for habitation (e.g. street, tent, car, car park, park or wood, place of public transport, slum) or in an accommodation (emergency accommodation, hotels, accommodation and social reintegration centres called “CHRS”, specific centres for asylum seekers – i.e. accommodation without rental contract, sublease contract, or residence contract in social residences, that would be considered as housing).
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	333 000 individuals, representing 0.49% of the total population (2022)
	Point-in-time count, based on an estimate from the Délégation interministérielle à l’hébergement et à l’accès au logement (DIHAL)
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Not included: ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in France.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	National Homelessness Strategy: Housing First Plan (Le plan quinquennal pour le Logement d’abord et la lutte contre le sans-abrisme)
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Night of Solidarity (Nuit de la solidarité): Street count with questionnaire performed by volunteers in major cities (Table 6.1) Homelessness survey (Enquête sans domicile): Individuals using services which provide meals, housing or night shelters were sampled through interviews and questionnaires (Table 6.2) Slum clearing platform (Plateforme résorption-bidonvilles): Organisations working with people living in non-conventional housing settlements regularly update information on an online platform (Table 6.3) Information system – Integrated reception and orientation service (Système Information – Service intégré d’accueil et d’orientation (SI-SIAO)): Information regarding individuals requesting housing assistance through SIAO is recorded (Table 6.4)

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

Statistical definition

Homelessness

The following statistical definition is used: people who have spent the previous night in a place not intended for habitation (e.g. street, tent, car, car park, park or wood, place of public transport, slum) or in an accommodation (emergency accommodation, hotels, accommodation and social reintegration centres called “CHRS”, specific centres for asylum seekers – i.e. accommodation without rental contract, sublease contract, or residence contract in social residences, that would be considered as housing).

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2022	333 000	0.49%	~5 500	~ 316 000	Included in ETHOS 2	Not included	~11 200	Not Included
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Included in headline estimate: Children: Yes Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: Yes Refugees: Yes Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: Estimate by the Délégation interministérielle à l’hébergement et à l’accès au logement (DIHAL), based on the aggregation of several point-in-time data sources from across the country. The data in ETHOS 2 include approximately 113 000 individuals staying in temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable Housing (QuASH); DIHAL (2023).

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Data not available.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	None.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	Housing First Plan
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	No.

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Night of Solidarity (Nuit de la solidarité)
Description The Nuit de la Solidarité is organised once a year, on a given night in January or February in numerous French cities. Volunteers count the number of people who plan to spend the night or are already asleep in the street, tent, camp, car, car park, park or wood, place of public transport, camp, etc. They also administer a questionnaire. (The city of Paris piloted a second street count in the summer of 2023, in addition to the winter street count).
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Street Count
Lead authority(ies) Délégation interministérielle à l’hébergement et à l’accès au logement (DIHAL)	Source(s) of information Cities perform the data collection themselves and report the results to DIHAL
Scope 41 major French cities in 2023	Depth of data Key demographic characteristics
Frequency Annual
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Nuit de la Solidarité hiver 2023 : 3015 personnes - Ville de Paris Guide de la Nuit de la solidarité (2021) https://www.paris.fr/pages/nuit-de-la-solidarite-2026-33001 https://www.apur.org/fr/open-data-cartes/observatoire/nuit-solidarite-paris-metropole-grand-paris
6.2. Homelessness survey (Enquête sans domicile)
Description Individuals using services providing meals, housing or night shelters are sampled through interviews and questionnaires. Although not all people sampled were necessarily experiencing homelessness, their status was established through the questionnaire. The survey previously took place in 2001 and 2012. The sampling was a random 3‑degrees sampling, which included choosing random conurbations, time of visits (within a given frame to maximise responses) and users attending the service on the day of the planned visit. The sampling process was informed by a pre‑survey realised by regional offices and enriched by telephone surveys. French-speaking people filled out a form face to face with an interviewer. Non-French speaking people had the option to choose between 14 languages and filled out a self-administered questionnaire if they understood one of the languages.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE)	Source(s) of information Users of hosting services or meal distribution provide information through the questionnaire
Scope National level; The survey is conducted in a sample of services in cities over 20.000 inhabitants with an aim of statistical representativeness.	Depth of data Detailed demographic information, as well as pathways into homelessness
Frequency Irregular; most recent survey conducted in spring 2025; data may become available at the end of 2026
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Présentation statistique − Survey about people attending hosting services or meal distribution - 2012 | Insee L’hébergement des sans-domicile en 2012 - Insee Première - 1455
6.3. Slum clearing platform (Plateforme résorption-bidonvilles)
Description The Résorption-bidonvilles platform is a tool for information, sharing and steering, that is used to move people from non-conventional housing settlements to conventional housing. Organisations working with people living in non-conventional housing settlements regularly update information on corresponding settlements in the platform.
Type of count generated Point-in-time Flow (period) Note: Both point-in-time and flow data can be generated through this method.	Methods Other (Information system on non-conventional housing)
Lead authority(ies) Délégation interministérielle à l’hébergement et à l’accès au logement (DIHAL)	Source(s) of information NGOs, government services, associations and other organisations working with people living in non-conventional housing update information directly in the platform.
Scope The platform collects information on all non-conventional settlements in France. Limited monitoring in Overseas departments and territories.	Depth of data Number and characteristics of people living in non-conventional housing Characteristics of non-conventional housing
Frequency Ongoing
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Résorption-bidonvilles – Agir pour résorber les bidonvilles (beta.gouv.fr)
6.4. Information system – integrated reception and orientation service (Système Information – Service intégré d’accueil et d’orientation (SI-SIAO))
Description The number of people requesting emergency housing assistance, transitional housing and/or social support through the Information system – integrated reception and orientation service (SIAO) is recorded, as well as the outcome of the decision. Départements provide individual activity reports each year.
Type of count generated Point-in-time Flow (period) Note: Both point-in-time and flow data can be generated through this approach.	Methods Information management system on individuals experiencing homelessness
Lead authority(ies) Délégation interministérielle à l’hébergement et à l’accès au logement (DIHAL)	Source(s) of information People applying for homelessness related services provide information directly through the online portal
Scope National	Depth of data Key demographic characteristics and current situation
Frequency Ongoing
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources https://basedeconnaissances.sisiao.social.gouv.fr/support

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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