Insee Focus · May 2023 · n° 299

Fewer burglaries of dwellings since the COVID-19 health crisis over most of the French territory

In 2022, in France excluding Mayotte, 211,400 burglaries or attempted burglaries of dwellings were recorded by the national police and gendarmerie services, representing an average of 5.8 offences per 1,000 dwellings. This rate of offences was higher in the most densely populated municipalities, then in those with the highest standards of living. To a lesser extent, it was also higher in municipalities with high income inequalities.

In 2020, the year in which the Covid-19 health crisis began, the number of burglaries fell sharply, regardless of the standard of living or density of the municipalities. In 2022, the number of burglaries was on the rise, but only returned to or exceeded its pre-crisis level in around twenty departments, mainly in the west of France.