The Algerian diaspora comprises the population of Algerian origin or nationality living outside the country, mainly in France but also in the rest of the world. It is largely the result of the high rate of emigration that Algeria has experienced since the end of World War II in 1945, and the freedom granted by the French colonial administration to Algerians to settle in metropolitan France starting from 1947.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the favorable economic situation in France further amplified the phenomenon.
According to Gilles Pison, in 2000, the total number of Algerian migrants (i.e., individuals born in Algeria and living outside the country) worldwide was estimated to be over 2 million individuals, which accounted for 6.8% of the country's population.[1]
According to Aida, the International Association of the Algerian Diaspora Abroad, established in London in 2012, the number of Algerians or individuals of Algerian origin living abroad in 2012 was estimated to be 6 million.[2]
According to sociologist Hocine Khalfaoui, over 80% of the Algerian diaspora settled in North America (United States and Canada) consists of highly educated individuals. Fateh Ouazzani, president of Reage (Network of Algerians Graduated from French Prestigious Schools and Universities), reported in 2013 that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 Algerian executives and entrepreneurs, or individuals of Algerian origin, in France and Europe.[3]