The number of burglaries in France went down in France last year, and a new study shows the variation in burglary rates in each department and region.

The graphic below shows the burglary rate (committed and attempted) between 2008 and 2018, during which the total number per year rose from 169,100 in 2008 to 233,800 in 2018, but with a high point of 250,400 in 2013. The figures are for both principle residences and second homes.

The authors of the report acknowledge the figures understate the actual level of crime, due mainly to the number of unreported attempted burglaries, but as insurers require a police report before they will pay out on a claim they consider that around 75% of actual burglaries are reported.

On a geographic basis, the number of burglaries per 1,000 dwellings is broadly similar in rural, small and medium-sized urban areas.

In these areas, approximately 5 dwellings out of 1,000 were burgled in 2018, whilst in those areas with a population of 200,000+ the rate was 9 burglaries per 1,000 homes.

Regions with the highest burglary rate were the Île-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA).

More specifically, the police recorded the most burglaries per dwelling in the eastern half of Île-de-France, the three departments Rhône, Isère, Ain, and the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône and Haute-Garonne, all areas containing major urban centres.

The graphic below shows the burglary rate per 1000 homes in each department, with those have the lowest burglary rates (1.8 to 4.2 per 1000 homes) coloured pink, and those with the highest rates (9 to 12 per 1000 homes), coloured dark red.

Although not available in the most recent analysis, previous reports have drilled down to the lowest administrative level, when they have shown that in around 40% of the 35,000 communes in France no burglaries at all were recorded.

The graphic below show the variation in the burglary rate in each department compared with 2017.

As can be seen, most departments have seen a decrease in the number of recorded burglaries, contracting strongly in 26 departments, coloured dark blue.

Nevertheless, 7 departments have experienced increases of more than 15% compared to 2017, coloured orange on the graphic.

On a regional level, three regions had no decrease in the year: the Île-de-France, due to the strong increase in Paris, the Pays-de-la-Loire due to the increase in the department of Loire Atlantique, and Burgundy-Franche-Comté with increases recorded in the departments of Yonne, Doubs and Jura.