Illustration: The graduates and students of the higher are more mobile than others. – Andrew Krech / AP / SIPA

Claire Chédeville

more graduates but more mobile and unequally distributed on the territory. This is revealed by the latest available census of population, published Thursday by INSEE.

In 20 years the number of graduates or tertiary students has increased by 2, 5 in France: “15 million French have a higher education qualification which 2.6 million are still students,” says Arnaud Degorre, CEO Picardie INSEE. And people with a highest level of education are also more likely to leave during their lives, their region of birth: 4.9 million people live in a different region from the one where they were born, and more a student in eight is born abroad.

The most popular areas

Ile-de-France is a region particularly attractive. By itself, the region concentrates more than 20% of graduates and students in higher education were born abroad. The region has the distinction of having more residents (1/4) that of native and graduate students in higher education (less than 1/5). “This is due to the strong proposal formations, but also the presence of skilled jobs until retirement age,” explains Arnaud Degorre. “The natives abroad swell