This document sketches a social and demographic portrait of 16 – 25-year-olds and updates a note which was written in 2012 within the framework of the study of young people in Paris.
It underlines the heterogeneous character of a section of the population many of whom have succeeded in making their way to independence, which entails living on their own and beginning to work after having acquired training, while other young people, generally less well-armed and less privileged, have a more difficult time and may become vulnerable and insecure. The path to independence depends to a great extent on age. At 16, more than 95% of young Parisians are students living with their parents, whereas at 25, one young person in two has a job and has left home.
In 2011, 330,500 young people aged between 16 and 25 were resident in the capital, i.e. 15% of Parisians. Nearly half of these people had been living in Paris for less than 5 years. In addition, 264,000 young people were coming regularly to Paris to study or work, without counting those who came for leisure purposes. It is in the order of things for the centre of a great metropolis, where a vast range of work and training opportunities are concentrated, to attract a large young population.
The profile of young Parisians reveals a markedly high proportion of young people who have moved away from home, whether they are students (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 16th, 17th districts) or in employment (central, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 18th districts). In certain districts around the periphery or to the east of Paris the number of young people confronted by difficulties finding a job or living alone is higher. Finding somewhere to live is difficult for everybody. Flat-sharing or living in furnished accommodation is more common now than at the beginning of the 2000’s. Getting a first job is another challenge affected by the rise in unemployment and job insecurity. To a certain extent, qualifications guarantee better conditions at work and represent a real protection against the risk of unemployment. In response to this, many young Parisians follow long years of study and the number of higher education graduates has risen sharply.
