Process for the manufacture of 1,2-dichloroethane starting with a hydrocarbon source according to which: a) the hydrocarbon source is subjected to cracking which produces a mixture of products containing ethylene and other constituents; b) the said mixture of products is separated into a fraction enriched with compounds which are lighter than ethylene, containing part of the ethylene (fraction A), into a fraction enriched with ethylene (fraction B) and into a heavy fraction (fraction C); c) fraction A is conveyed to a chlorination reactor and fraction B to an oxychlorination reactor, in which reactors most of the ethylene present in fractions A and B is converted to 1,2-dichloroethane; d) the 1,2-dichloroethane obtained is separated from the streams of products derived from the chlorination and oxychlorination reactors.