French daily Le Parisien has reported that the population of Paris fell by 13,660 people between 2009 and 2014. The 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th arrondissements all saw a drop in numbers of more than one percent.

Intriguingly, the falling permanent population has been blamed largely on Airbnb, which had 60,000 listings for France’s capital in 2015, compared to 4,000 in 2012. Jean-François Legaret, mayor of the 1st arrondissement, told the daily that the Airbnb phenomenon has been a “catastrophe” for central Paris. The Town Hall has estimated that 20,000 primary residences have been lost to temporary rentals, and has threatened to increase taxes on what it calls “second homes”.

Throughout France, hoteliers have complained that the “unregulated” market in accommodation services is having a major detrimental impact on their business operations.

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