List of French departments by population
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This table lists the 101 French departments in descending order of population, area and population density.
Data Description
The figures include:
- population without double counting for 1999;
- municipal population (legal population in 2008, with effect from 1 January 2011)[1] published in decree No. 2010-1723 of 30 December 2010 as amended by Decree No. 2011-343 of 28 March 2011 which corresponds to data compiled as at 1 January 2008.
- municipal population (legal population in 2013 with effect from 1 January 2016)[2]
The total population takes into account double counting.
Evolution
Between 1999 and 2006 all French departments have grown in population with the exception of the following seven departments: Allier and Cantal in Auvergne, Creuse in Limousin, Ardennes and Haute-Marne in Champagne-Ardenne, Nièvre in Burgundy, and Vosges in Lorraine.
In contrast the seven departments that have gained the most population in absolute value are Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Bouches-du-Rhône, Seine-Saint-Denis, Loire-Atlantique, Hauts-de Seine, and Hérault.
Guadeloupe has seemingly lost population between 1999 and 2008. However, this diminution of the legal population is due to the creation of the overseas communities of Saint Barthelemy and Saint-Martin. In the 1999 census, the population of Guadeloupe without the arrondissement of Saint-Martin-Saint-Barthélemy was 386,566 inhabitants. The department's population has actually increased by more than 15,000 people over the period based on a constant territory.
List of departments by descending population
2013 Rank | Department | Legal population in 1931 | Legal population in 1999 | Legal population in 2008 | Legal population in 2013 | Area (km²) | Pop. density (Pop./km²) | INSEE Dept. No. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nord | 2,029,449 | 2,555,020 | 2,564,959 | 2,595,536 | 5,743 | 452 | 59 |
2 | Paris | 2,891,020 | 2,125,246 | 2,211,297 | 2,229,621 | 105 | 21,234 | 75 |
3 | Bouches-du-Rhône | 1,101,672 | 1,835,719 | 1,966,005 | 1,993,177 | 5,087 | 392 | 13 |
4 | Rhône | 1,046,028 | 1,578,869 | 1,690,498 | 1,779,845 | 3,249 | 548 | 69 |
5 | Hauts-de-Seine | 949,231 | 1,428,881 | 1,549,619 | 1,591,403 | 176 | 9,042 | 92 |
6 | Seine-Saint-Denis | 769,315 | 1,382,861 | 1,506,466 | 1,552,482 | 236 | 6,578 | 93 |
7 | Gironde | 852,768 | 1,287,334 | 1,421,276 | 1,505,517 | 10,725 | 140 | 33 |
8 | Pas-de-Calais | 1,205,191 | 1,441,568 | 1,459,531 | 1,465,205 | 6,671 | 220 | 62 |
9 | Yvelines | 408,282 | 1,354,308 | 1,406,053 | 1,418,484 | 2,284 | 621 | 78 |
10 | Seine-et-Marne | 406,108 | 1,193,767 | 1,303,702 | 1,365,200 | 5,915 | 231 | 77 |
11 | Val-de-Marne | 657,322 | 1,227,250 | 1,310,876 | 1,354,005 | 245 | 5,527 | 94 |
12 | Loire-Atlantique | 652,079 | 1,134,266 | 1,255,871 | 1,328,620 | 6,815 | 195 | 44 |
13 | Haute-Garonne | 441,799 | 1,046,338 | 1,217,344 | 1,298,562 | 6,309 | 206 | 31 |
14 | Seine-Maritime | 905,278 | 1,239,138 | 1,248,580 | 1,254,609 | 6,278 | 200 | 76 |
15 | Essonne | 271,094 | 1,134,238 | 1,205,850 | 1,253,931 | 1,804 | 695 | 91 |
16 | Isère | 584,017 | 1,094,006 | 1,188,660 | 1,235,387 | 7,431 | 166 | 38 |
17 | Val-d'Oise | 353,374 | 1,105,464 | 1,165,397 | 1,194,681 | 1,246 | 959 | 95 |
18 | Bas-Rhin | 688,242 | 1,026,120 | 1,091,015 | 1,109,460 | 4,755 | 233 | 67 |
19 | Hérault | 514,819 | 896,441 | 1,019,798 | 1,092,331 | 6,101 | 179 | 34 |
20 | Alpes-Maritimes | 493,376 | 1,011,326 | 1,084,428 | 1,080,771 | 4,299 | 251 | 06 |
21 | Moselle | 693,408 | 1,023,447 | 1,042,230 | 1,046,873 | 6,216 | 168 | 57 |
22 | Var | 377,104 | 898,441 | 1,001,408 | 1,028,583 | 5,973 | 172 | 83 |
23 | Ille-et-Vilaine | 562,558 | 867,533 | 967,588 | 1,019,923 | 6,775 | 151 | 35 |
24 | Finistère | 744,295 | 852,418 | 890,509 | 903,921 | 6,733 | 134 | 29 |
25 | Réunion | - | 706,300 | 808,250 | 835,103 | 2,504 | 334 | 974 |
26 | Oise | 407,432 | 766,441 | 799,725 | 815,400 | 5,860 | 139 | 60 |
27 | Maine-et-Loire | 475,991 | 732,942 | 774,823 | 800,191 | 7,166 | 112 | 49 |
28 | Haute-Savoie | 252,794 | 631,679 | 716,277 | 769,677 | 4,388 | 175 | 74 |
29 | Haut-Rhin | 516,726 | 708,025 | 746,072 | 758,723 | 3,525 | 215 | 68 |
30 | Loire | 664,822 | 728,524 | 742,076 | 756,715 | 4,781 | 158 | 42 |
31 | Morbihan | 537,528 | 643,873 | 710,034 | 737,778 | 6,823 | 108 | 56 |
32 | Gard | 406,815 | 623,125 | 694,323 | 733,201 | 5,853 | 125 | 30 |
33 | Meurthe-et-Moselle | 592,632 | 713,779 | 729,768 | 731,004 | 5,246 | 139 | 54 |
34 | Calvados | 401,356 | 648,385 | 678,206 | 689,945 | 5,548 | 124 | 14 |
35 | Loiret | 342,679 | 618,126 | 650,769 | 665,587 | 6,775 | 98 | 45 |
36 | Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 422,719 | 600,018 | 647,420 | 664,057 | 7,645 | 87 | 64 |
37 | Vendée | 390,396 | 539,664 | 616,906 | 655,506 | 6,720 | 98 | 85 |
38 | Puy-de-Dôme | 500,590 | 604,266 | 628,485 | 640,999 | 7,970 | 80 | 63 |
39 | Charente-Maritime | 415,249 | 557,024 | 611,714 | 633,417 | 6,864 | 92 | 17 |
40 | Ain | 322,918 | 515,270 | 581,355 | 619,497 | 5,762 | 108 | 01 |
41 | Indre-et-Loire | 335,226 | 554,003 | 585,406 | 600,252 | 6,127 | 98 | 37 |
42 | Côtes-d'Armor | 539,531 | 542,373 | 581,570 | 597,085 | 6,878 | 87 | 22 |
43 | Eure | 305,788 | 541,054 | 577,087 | 595,043 | 6,040 | 99 | 27 |
44 | Somme | 466,626 | 555,551 | 568,086 | 571,675 | 6,170 | 93 | 80 |
45 | Marne | 412,156 | 565,229 | 566,010 | 569,999 | 8,162 | 70 | 51 |
46 | Sarthe | 384,619 | 529,851 | 559,587 | 569,035 | 6,206 | 92 | 72 |
47 | Saône-et-Loire | 538,741 | 544,893 | 553,968 | 556,222 | 8,575 | 65 | 71 |
48 | Vaucluse | 241,689 | 499,685 | 538,902 | 549,949 | 3,567 | 154 | 84 |
49 | Aisne | 489,368 | 535,489 | 538,790 | 540,067 | 7,369 | 73 | 02 |
50 | Doubs | 305,500 | 499,062 | 522,685 | 533,320 | 5,234 | 102 | 25 |
51 | Côte-d'Or | 333,800 | 506,755 | 521,608 | 529,761 | 8,763 | 60 | 21 |
52 | Manche | 433,473 | 481,471 | 496,937 | 499,919 | 5,938 | 84 | 50 |
53 | Drôme | 267,080 | 437,778 | 478,069 | 494,712 | 6,530 | 76 | 26 |
54 | Pyrénées-Orientales | 238,647 | 392,803 | 441,387 | 462,705 | 4,116 | 112 | 66 |
55 | Eure-et-Loir | 254,790 | 407,665 | 423,559 | 432,967 | 5,880 | 74 | 28 |
56 | Vienne | 303,072 | 399,024 | 424,354 | 431,248 | 6,990 | 62 | 86 |
57 | Savoie | 235,544 | 373,258 | 408,842 | 423,715 | 6,028 | 70 | 73 |
58 | Dordogne | 383,720 | 388,293 | 409,388 | 416,909 | 9,060 | 46 | 24 |
59 | Guadeloupe | - | 422,496 | 401,784 | 402,119 | 1,628[3] | 247 | 971 |
60 | Landes | 257,186 | 327,334 | 373,142 | 397,226 | 9,243 | 43 | 40 |
61 | Martinique | - | 381,427 | 397,693 | 385,551 | 1,128 | 342 | 972 |
62 | Tarn | 302,994 | 343,402 | 371,738 | 381,927 | 5,758 | 66 | 81 |
63 | Haute-Vienne | 335,873 | 353,893 | 373,940 | 375,856 | 5,520 | 68 | 87 |
64 | Vosges | 377,980 | 380,952 | 380,145 | 375,226 | 5,874 | 64 | 88 |
65 | Deux-Sèvres | 308,481 | 344,392 | 365,059 | 371,632 | 5,999 | 62 | 79 |
66 | Aude | 296,880 | 309,770 | 349,237 | 364,877 | 6,139 | 59 | 11 |
67 | Charente | 310,489 | 339,628 | 351,581 | 353,482 | 5,956 | 59 | 16 |
68 | Allier | 373,924 | 344,721 | 342,807 | 343,431 | 7,340 | 47 | 03 |
69 | Yonne | 275,755 | 333,221 | 342,359 | 341,483 | 7,427 | 46 | 89 |
70 | Lot-et-Garonne | 247,500 | 305,380 | 326,399 | 333,180 | 5,361 | 62 | 47 |
71 | Loir-et-Cher | 241,592 | 314,968 | 326,599 | 332,001 | 6,343 | 52 | 41 |
72 | Ardèche | 282,911 | 286,023 | 311,452 | 320,379 | 5,529 | 58 | 07 |
73 | Cher | 293,918 | 314,428 | 313,251 | 311,650 | 7,235 | 43 | 18 |
74 | Mayenne | 254,479 | 285,338 | 302,983 | 307,500 | 5,175 | 59 | 53 |
75 | Aube | 242,596 | 292,131 | 301,327 | 306,581 | 6,004 | 51 | 10 |
76 | Orne | 273,717 | 292,337 | 292,282 | 288,848 | 6,103 | 47 | 61 |
77 | Ardennes | 293,746 | 290,130 | 284,197 | 280,907 | 5,229 | 54 | 08 |
78 | Aveyron | 323,782 | 263,808 | 275,889 | 277,740 | 8,735 | 32 | 12 |
79 | Jura | 229,109 | 250,857 | 260,740 | 260,502 | 4,999 | 52 | 39 |
80 | Tarn-et-Garonne | 164,259 | 206,034 | 235,915 | 250,342 | 3,718 | 67 | 82 |
81 | Guyane | - | 157,213 | 219,266 | 244,118 | 83,534 | 3 | 973 |
82 | Corrèze | 264,129 | 232,576 | 242,896 | 240,781 | 5,857 | 41 | 19 |
83 | Haute-Saône | 219,257 | 229,732 | 238,548 | 238,956 | 5,360 | 45 | 70 |
84 | Hautes-Pyrénées | 189,993 | 222,368 | 229,079 | 228,868 | 4,464 | 51 | 65 |
85 | Indre | 247,912 | 231,139 | 232,004 | 228,091 | 6,791 | 34 | 36 |
86 | Haute-Loire | 251,608 | 209,113 | 221,834 | 226,203 | 4,977 | 45 | 43 |
87 | Nièvre | 255,195 | 225,198 | 220,653 | 215,221 | 6,817 | 32 | 58 |
88 | Mayotte | - | 131,320[4] | 186,452[5] | 212,645[6] | 376 | 566 | 976 |
89 | Meuse | 215,819 | 192,198 | 194,218 | 192,094 | 6,211 | 31 | 55 |
90 | Gers | 193,134 | 172,335 | 185,266 | 190,276 | 6,257 | 30 | 32 |
91 | Haute-Marne | 189,791 | 194,873 | 186,470 | 181,521 | 6,211 | 29 | 52 |
92 | Lot | 166,637 | 160,197 | 172,796 | 173,758 | 5,217 | 33 | 46 |
93 | Haute-Corse | - | 141,603 | 162,013 | 170,974 | 4,666 | 37 | 2B |
94 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 87,566 | 139,561 | 157,965 | 161,916 | 6,925 | 23 | 04 |
95 | Ariège | 161,265 | 137,205 | 150,201 | 152,684 | 4,890 | 31 | 09 |
96 | Corse-du-Sud | - | 118,593 | 140,953 | 149,234 | 4,014 | 37 | 2A |
97 | Cantal | 193,505 | 150,778 | 148,737 | 147,035 | 5,726 | 26 | 15 |
98 | Territoire de Belfort | 99,403 | 137,408 | 141,958 | 144,318 | 609 | 237 | 90 |
99 | Hautes-Alpes | 87,566 | 121,419 | 134,205 | 139,279 | 5,549 | 25 | 05 |
100 | Creuse | 207,882 | 124,470 | 123,907 | 120,872 | 5,565 | 22 | 23 |
101 | Lozère | 101,849 | 73,509 | 76,973 | 76,607 | 5,167 | 15 | 48 |
References
- ^ Legal Population 2008, INSEE website Template:Fr
- ^ Legal Population 2013, INSEE website Template:Fr
- ^ The population for Guadeloupe no longer includes the populations of Saint-Barthélémy and Saint-Martin (74 km²)
- ^ Census in 1997
- ^ Census in 2007
- ^ Decree No. 2012-1453 of 24 December 2012 authenticates the results of the census of population made in Mayotte in 2012, Legifrance, 24 December 2012, consulted on 30 December 2012