France experienced a record surge in homeless deaths in 2024, with 912 people dying while living without stable housing, according to figures released Thursday by the collective Les Morts de la Rue.
France saw a record surge in homeless deaths in 2024, with 912 people dying while living without stable housing, according to figures released Thursday by the collective Les Morts de la Rue.
The organisation described the toll as “an appalling new record” and called for urgent government action to address poverty and homelessness.
Sharp rise in fatalities
The figure represents a sharp rise from the 735 deaths recorded in 2023. Tracking homeless fatalities since 2012, Les Morts de la Rue reported that the vast majority of those who died were men (82 percent), but the proportion of women (13 percent) is increasing, signaling a “feminisation of homelessness.”
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The collection also said children accounted for four percent of deaths, including 19 under the age of four - double the rate seen over the 2012–2023 period.
Those who died were on average just 47.7 years old, highlighting a life expectancy gap of 32 years compared with the general population. The collective also warned that official records capture only about one in five homeless deaths, suggesting the real toll is likely much higher.
“Faced with this tragedy, the urgency is twofold: to protect the most vulnerable and to reform public policy so that the right to decent housing finally becomes a reality,” the group said in a statement.
Of the 912 deaths, 304 occurred on the streets, 243 in temporary accommodations, while the living situation of 365 individuals could not be determined. In many cases, the cause of death remains unknown (40 percent), with 17 percent classified as violent deaths, including drownings, assaults, and suicides.
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Geographically, the Île-de-France region, which includes Paris, accounted for 37% percent of deaths, while Hauts-de-France saw fatalities double to 163, many linked to attempts to cross the English Channel.
Estimating France’s homeless population remains challenging. The Foundation pour la Lodgement -formerly the Abbé Pierre Foundation - now puts the figure at around 350,000, while the last official estimate by the national statistics agency, Insee, in 2012 stood at 143,000. Insee is currently conducting a new study to update these numbers.
Child homelessness
Earlier this year in August, research by Unicef France and the Federation of Solidarity Actors (FAS), a network supporting vulnerable populations, shows child homelessness is increasing rapidly. The number of homeless children rose by 6 percent over the past year and 30% since 2022.
On 18 August 2025, 2,159 children, including 503 under the age of three, were without a place to sleep. This figure likely underestimates the scale of the problem, as it only includes children whose parents contacted the emergency hotline for homeless people (115).
“There are all kinds of children, but what worries us most is the rising number of very young ones,” said Adeline Hazan, president of Unicef France at the time.
“Between 500 and 600 children are under three, and that number is increasing fast, as is the number of single mothers with children.”
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For 11-year-old Jayyed, who arrived in Lyon from Italy five years ago, life on the streets was a daily struggle. “We slept on bits of cardboard. I had trouble falling asleep, I was afraid we’d be attacked,” he told AFP. “To go to school, I couldn’t take a shower, just wash my hands in fountains.” Jayyed’s family has since found temporary shelter through the grassroots collective Jamais sans toit (Never Without a Roof).
The figures underscore a growing crisis in France, highlighting both the urgent need for protective measures and comprehensive housing reforms to ensure that the right to shelter is more than just a promise.
(with newswires)
