Introduction - In France, surveillance of HIV infection diagnoses has included the detection of recent infections since its inception in 2003. Based on the number of new diagnoses detected during the period of recent HIV infection, and taking into account testing behaviors, our objective was to estimate the incidence of HIV infection in France during the period 2003–2008. Methods - We analyzed reports of seropositivity for new HIV infection diagnoses received by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance between January 2003 and December 2008. Missing data were accounted for using multiple imputation. Patients were classified as having a recent or non-recent infection based on the EIARI test, calibrated using samples from seroconverters followed by the ANRSPRIMO cohort. We adapted a stratified extrapolation approach to calculate the number of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), and heterosexual men and women, by nationality. Population sizes were obtained from the census and national-level behavioral studies. Results - The number of new HIV infections in 2008 is estimated at 6,940 [6,200–7,690], corresponding to an HIV incidence rate of 17 per 100,000 person-years. In 2008, there were 3,550 [3,040–4,050] new infections among heterosexuals (incidence rate of 9 per 100,000 person-years), 3,320 [2,830–3,810] among MSM (1,006 per 100,000 person-years), and 70 [0–190] among IDUs (86 per 100,000 person-years). The overall incidence of HIV decreased between 2003 and 2008, but remains comparatively high and stable among MSM. Only 1% of new infections are attributable to injection drug use. Conclusion - In France, HIV transmission disproportionately affects certain at-risk groups and appears to be uncontrolled among MSM. Incidence must be monitored to analyze transmission dynamics within different at-risk groups and to inform the targeting and evaluation of prevention strategies. (R.A.)