A report by the French notaires shows those areas in France most popular with international buyers.

The preconceived idea that the large-scale buying of properties from abroad is one of the causes of the rise in property prices and their resistance to falls is contradicted by an analysis of the data provided by the notaries.

In their latest review of the property market they provide information concerning the nationality or place of residence of the buyer and seller when these are private individuals.

Interestingly the report points out that almost 70% of foreign buyers already live in France, while more than 30% of non-resident buyers are French expatriates.

Overall, for the period 2009-2013 non-resident foreigners accounted for less than 2% of buyers, although in some areas the percentages are higher and do play a role in influencing house prices.

This is the case in two types of locations: rural departments in the centre and south east of France where national buyers are lacking and, conversely, in the major tourist regions of the Alps and the French Riviera where competition with local buyers is substantial.

The graphic below shows the proportion of non-resident nationalities in each department of France. The department with the highest proportion of non-resident buyers is the Alpes-Maritimes (12%), followed by the Creuse (11%) and Dordogne (10%).

In the border regions, the nationalities of neighbouring countries are frequently encountered, this being the case for the Swiss in the Alps, the Italians in the south-east, the Spanish in the southwest and the Belgians in the north-east. In the greater Paris region, the Italians are the largest group (25%) far ahead of citizens of the United States (5%).

The British are only the largest group in the northwestern quarter of France while the presence of Germans, in comparison to citizens of the Benelux countries (which however have far lower populations) is low.