Ali Akbar

Ali Akbar (; born 1952 or 1953) is a Pakistani newspaper hawker based in Paris. He began selling newspapers in in 1973, and is now the last newspaper hawker in France. In 2025, Akbar was appointed a knight of the for his contributions to French culture by President Emmanuel Macron, a former customer.

Early life Ali Akbar was born into poverty in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in 1952 or 1953. After dropping out of school when he was 12 years old, he worked odd jobs and taught himself how to read. At 18, he travelled to Kabul, Afghanistan, on his way to Europe, where he was offered hashish by some hippies but declined, telling them he had "a mission in life". In the 1960s, Akbar moved to Amsterdam where he began working on a cruise liner. The ship docked in Rouen in 1972, and Akbar moved to Paris the next year. He received his French residency papers in the 1980s.

Career Akbar began selling newspapers when he moved to Paris in 1973, starting by selling the satirical Charlie Hebdo paper to students at Sorbonne University and other nearby institutions. Newspaper sales were already declining in the 1970s due to the growing popularity of news television, and the advent of online news caused further declines in sales. When Akbar began hawking, there were about 40 hawkers in Paris, but he is now the last hawker in France, and, according to BBC, possibly the last in Europe.

Akbar is considered by locals to be an important part of the community and a staple of Parisian culture. In 2025, French president Emmanuel Macron, a former customer of Akbar's, appointed him a (knight) of the . Although Akbar is a French resident, he has not received citizenship yet, and he stated that he hopes the award will help him finally become a citizen.