This statistic shows the ten largest cities in France as of 2022. In 2022, around 2.11 million people lived in Paris, making it the largest city in France.

Paris was in 2022 the most populated city in France with over *** million inhabitants. Marseille was the second most important city in terms of inhabitants, and Lyon, the third. With ******* inhabitants, Lille was the tenth most populated city in France.

By 1800, London had grown to be the largest city in Western Europe with just under one million inhabitants. Paris was now the second largest city, with over half a million people, and Naples was the third largest city with 450 thousand people. The only other cities with over two hundred thousand inhabitants at this time were Vienna, Amsterdam and Dublin. Another noticeable development is the inclusion of many more northern cities from a wider variety of countries. The dominance of cities from France and Mediterranean countries was no longer the case, and the dispersal of European populations in 1800 was much closer to how it is today, more than two centuries later.

In 2019, Rennes, the prefecture of the Bretagne region, was also the largest city in the region in terms of population. It was indeed home to ******* inhabitants that year. The second most populous city in Bretagne was Brest, with nearly ******* inhabitants, followed by Quimper (****** inhabitants), and Lorient (****** inhabitants). In 2022, *** million people where living in Bretagne.

In 1500, the largest city was Paris, with an estimated 225 thousand inhabitants, almost double the population of the second-largest city, Naples. As in 1330, Venice and Milan remain the third and fourth largest cities in Western Europe, however Genoa's population almost halved from 1330 until 1500, as it was struck heavily by the bubonic plague in the mid-1300s. In lists prior to this, the largest cities were generally in Spain and Italy, however, as time progressed, the largest populations could be found more often in Italy and France. The year 1500 is around the beginning of what we now consider modern history, a time that saw the birth of many European empires and inter-continental globalization.

The city of Paris in France had an estimated gross domestic product of 757.6 billion Euros in 2021, the most of any European city. Paris was followed by the spanish capital, Madrid, which had a GDP of 237.5 billion Euros, and the Irish capital, Dublin at 230 billion Euros. Milan, in the prosperous north of Italy, had a GDP of 228.4 billion Euros, 65 billion euros larger than the Italian capital Rome, and was the largest non-capital city in terms of GDP in Europe. The engine of Europe Among European countries, Germany had by far the largest economy, with a gross domestic product of over 4.18 trillion Euros. The United Kingdom or France have been Europe's second largest economy since the 1980s, depending on the year, with forecasts suggesting France will overtake the UK going into the 2020s. Germany however, has been the biggest European economy for some time, with five cities (Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Frankfurt) among the 15 largest European cities by GDP. Europe's largest cities In 2023, Moscow was the largest european city, with a population of nearly 12.7 million. Paris was the largest city in western Europe, with a population of over 11 million, while London was Europe's third-largest city at 9.6 million inhabitants.

This graph shows the number of inhabitants in the city of Lyon in France in 2020, by gender. That year, more than ******* people were living in Lyon. The city of Lyon is the third-largest city in France and the second-largest urban area before the city of Marseille. in France, Lyon is well-known for its food, as well, as its famous "Fête des Lumières" which takes place every year on December 8. With Paris becoming more and more expensive, Lyon appears to be a more comfortable option for those who enjoy all the cultural activities of a big city, which a more relaxing lifestyle.

Urban population growth has been constant for several decades in France. Between 1960 and 2023, it rose from 61.88 percent to 81.78 percent. The phenomenon of urbanization was more significant in the 1960s. Indeed, over this period, the rate of the French population living in cities increased by 10 points. The evolution was more weighted over the next 50 years, rising from 71.06 percent in 1970 to 80.98 percent in 2020.An increase in urbanization was accompanied over the same period by a sharp rise in the overall French population, from 55.57 million inhabitants in 1982 to around 68 million in 2024. Paris, an urban giant in France Like in the United Kingdom, the French-style centralized system has led to a high concentration of population around economic, financial, cultural and political centers, all located in the British and French capitals. London and Paris (and its conurbation) are among the largest urban centers on the continent, with Moscow being the most populous. This centralization of power has led to a very heterogenous distribution of population density. The Paris region has a density of more than 1000 inhabitants per km², which is ten times higher than the Haut-de-France region, the second densest region in Metropolitan France.This centralization of power attracts a strong French and foreign workforce. The French capital is by far the most populated city in France. If solely the municipality of Paris is taken into account, it had more than 2 million inhabitants in 2019, which is more than twice as many as in Marseille and four times as many as in Lyon, the country's second and third most populous cities. Future challenges for French cities Access to employment is no longer the only reason to settle in a town. Other factors come into play in the life choices of city dwellers. In 2019, more than 90% of the French estimated that the presence of green areas was important to settle or not in a district. The pollution level of the city was also considered in the choice of the city. In order to address these pollution problems, municipalities must resolve transportation issues on their own territory. Previously the king of the town, the car is increasingly losing ground to public transport in urban areas. Cities like Paris are relying more on public transport. Between 2011 and 2016, RATP and SNCF have built more than 60 kilometers of tramway tracks . Moreover, the construction of additional train and metro lines in the Grand Paris project aimed at better connecting the suburbs to each other without passing through intramural Paris.Making it easier to travel by bicycle is one of the options chosen by many conurbations to relieve congestion in their cities. Since the early 2000s, self-service bicycles have been a great success in France with more than 2400 bicycles available in Toulouse or 4000 in Lyon in 2017. A source of much tension between motorists, municipalities and cyclists, the sharing of the road between 4 and 2 wheelers has, however, been widely developed. In Strasbourg, for example, the municipality had around 1.04 metres of cycle lanes per inhabitant in 2017, the highest rate in France. However, the layout of cycle paths can be perilous and a majority of cyclists in France still feel unsafe on the road.

In 2025, Moscow was the largest city in Europe with an estimated urban agglomeration of 12.74 million people. The French capital, Paris, was the second largest city in 2025 at 11.35 million, followed by the capitals of the United Kingdom and Spain, with London at 9.84 million and Madrid at 6.81 million people. Istanbul, which would otherwise be the largest city in Europe in 2025, is excluded as it is only partially in Europe, with a sizeable part of its population living in Asia. Europe’s population is almost 750 million Since 1950, the population of Europe has increased by approximately 200 million people, increasing from 550 million to 750 million in these seventy years. Before the turn of the millennium, Europe was the second-most populated continent, before it was overtaken by Africa, which saw its population increase from 228 million in 1950 to 817 million by 2000. Asia has consistently had the largest population of the world’s continents and was estimated to have a population of 4.6 billion. Europe’s largest countries Including its territory in Asia, Russia is by far the largest country in the world, with a territory of around 17 million square kilometers, almost double that of the next largest country, Canada. Within Europe, Russia also has the continent's largest population at 145 million, followed by Germany at 83 million and the United Kingdom at almost 68 million. By contrast, Europe is also home to various micro-states such as San Marino, which has a population of just 30 thousand.

The population density in France is unevenly distributed. The country, which enjoys a great variety of regions and landscapes, is becoming more and more urbanized, and big cities concentrate economic activities. Ile-de-France and overseas regions: the most densely populated French regions In 2022, Ile-de-France was the French region with the highest population density. According to the source, there were ******* residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France. In 2025, more than ***** million people lived in this region, which contains the city of Paris and its greater suburbs. The overseas regions, such as Guadeloupe, Reunion, and Martinique, are the most densely populated French regions after the Paris region. On the other hand, Corsica was the least densely populated region in metropolitan France. However, it is Guyane, the largest overseas department, which has the lowest density in France, with only *** inhabitants per square kilometre. Largely covered by the Amazon jungle, this French territory is almost entirely populated along the coasts. The overall population density in metropolitan France reached ****** inhabitants per square kilometer in 2021, compared to ****** in 2007. Ile-de-France, and particularly Paris, is the center of most of the economic, political, and social activities in France. For instance, the ten most visited national French museums and galleries in 2017 were all located in Paris. In 2014, Ile-de-France was the French region that had the highest expenditure on Research and Development (19 billion euros). Regions in France Hauts-de-France, in the northern part of the country, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the southeastern part, were the second and the third most densely populated regions in Metropolitan France. The French southeastern coast is known for being highly urbanized, while its living conditions (sun, Mediterranean sea…) make it one of the most attractive regions to work and live in France. Hauts-de-France, which used to be one of the leading industrial regions of the country, now benefits from its geographical proximity to the heart of Europe: Brussels. Furthermore, rural regions like Centre-Val de Loire or Bourgogne Franche-Comté are less populous, and the share of the rural population in France is decreasing for years now.

Russia is the largest country in Europe, and also the largest in the world, its total size amounting to 17 million square kilometers (km2). It should be noted, however, that over three quarters of Russia is located in Asia, and the Ural mountains are often viewed as the meeting point of the two continents in Russia; nonetheless, European Russia is still significantly larger than any other European country. Ukraine, the second largest country on the continent, is only 603,000 km2, making it about 28 times smaller than its eastern neighbor, or seven times smaller than the European part of Russia. France is the third largest country in Europe, but the largest in the European Union. The Vatican City, often referred to as the Holy Sea, is both the smallest country in Europe and in the world, at just one km2. Population Russia is also the most populous country in Europe. It has around 144 million inhabitants across the country; in this case, around three quarters of the population live in the European part, which still gives it the largest population in Europe. Despite having the largest population, Russia is a very sparsely populated country due to its size and the harsh winters. Germany is the second most populous country in Europe, with 83 million inhabitants, while the Vatican has the smallest population. Worldwide, India and China are the most populous countries, with approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants each. Cities Moscow in Russia is ranked as the most populous city in Europe with around 13 million inhabitants, although figures vary, due to differences in the methodologies used by countries and sources. Some statistics include Istanbul in Turkey* as the largest city in Europe with its 15 million inhabitants, bit it has been excluded here as most of the country and parts of the city is located in Asia. Worldwide, Tokyo is the most populous city, with Jakarta the second largest and Delhi the third.

In 2024, Russia had the largest population among European countries at ***** million people. The next largest countries in terms of their population size were Turkey at **** million, Germany at **** million, the United Kingdom at **** million, and France at **** million. Europe is also home to some of the world’s smallest countries, such as the microstates of Liechtenstein and San Marino, with populations of ****** and ****** respectively. Europe’s largest economies Germany was Europe’s largest economy in 2023, with a Gross Domestic Product of around *** trillion Euros, while the UK and France are the second and third largest economies, at *** trillion and *** trillion euros respectively. Prior to the mid-2000s, Europe’s fourth-largest economy, Italy, had an economy that was of a similar sized to France and the UK, before diverging growth patterns saw the UK and France become far larger economies than Italy. Moscow and Istanbul the megacities of Europe Two cities on the eastern borders of Europe were Europe’s largest in 2023. The Turkish city of Istanbul, with a population of 15.8 million, and the Russian capital, Moscow, with a population of 12.7 million. Istanbul is arguably the world’s most famous transcontinental city with territory in both Europe and Asia and has been an important center for commerce and culture for over 2,000 years. Paris was the third largest European city with a population of ** million, with London being the fourth largest at *** million.

In 2020, the bar association of Paris concentrated about ** percent of the total attorney workforce of France. The third largest city in France, Lyon, had about **** percent of all lawyers in France registered at its bar association during the same time period.

When questioned at the beginning of June 2022, nearly **** of French people aged between 25 and 40, living in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, expressed their ambition to own their own home when asked about their main objectives. The second objective mentioned was to start a family for more than a third of respondents, and the third most common was to prepare for retirement.

In France, in 2023, the French municipality with the highest number of municipal police officers was Paris, with more than ***** officers. France's capital city was followed by Marseille, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. The third city in terms of municipal police officers was Nice, with more than *** officers.

In 2020, the number of public transport trips in Paris and the Île-de-France region amounted to approximately *** billion journeys, from which around **** percent took place in the metro network. During the same year the passenger traffic in the public transport in the whole French territory reached **** billion passenger-kilometers. A wide public transport network Public transport in Paris is composed by a large network of metro stations, bus lines, suburban trains and tram services. These different means of transport make it possible to travel in the French capital but also within the large suburbs surrounding Paris. Thus, more than *** million people used the suburban trains called RER which connects Paris to the suburbs in 2020. The Île-de-France region, which contains Paris, is the most populated region in France. More than ** million people live in this region and a lot of them work in or around Paris. Almost ** percent of people living in the French capital use metro, buses or suburban trains to go to work, compared to **** percent of employees in Lyon, the third most populous city in France. A cheap and sustainable network In comparison with other cities worldwide, public transportation in Paris seems to be pretty cheap. The average cost for public transport in London was **** US dollars, whereas the average ticket in Berlin amounted to **** US dollars. When it comes to Paris, an average ticket in the French capital had a price of **** US dollars in 2018.

The largest export market for agri-food products in the Asia-Oceania region was China in 2018. Singapore, the city-state was (despite its small population) the third largest market for France in this zone with more than one billion euros exported.

In 2022, Paris was the French city with the most saturated traffic. There, drivers lost on average *** hours per year in traffic jams. Bordeaux and Lyon were second and third to the capital city, with drivers losing around ** and ** hours in traffic respectively.

This graph shows the distribution of immigrants in French departments in 2021. It reveals that Seine-Saint-Denis was the department with the highest proportion of immigrants. Nearly a third of its population was composed of immigrated residents.

According to a survey conducted in early 2018, half of the surveyed French declared using the bike as a mean of transportation. However, ** percent of them said to bike less than once a month and only **** percent used the bicycle daily or almost daily as their transportation.  The vast majority of French surveyed by the French bicycle touring federation declared taking a bike for leisure activities, while almost a third said using it as a mean of transportation.

Usage of bicycles in city areas in France

Strasbourg, Grenoble and Bordeaux were the cities with the highest percentage of employees who used the bike to go to work in France in 2015 : in these metropoles between ** and ** percent of the working population went to work cycling. In Paris only **** percent of employees did so. This ratio appears to be more important when people commute within city-centers or big cities, which would be linked to the presence of better cycling infrastructures.

Overall bicycle mobility goals in France

On the observation that daily bike use represents only ***** percent of all daily travels, the French government stressed in September 2018 a “Plan Vélo” (Bicycle Plan). This to increase the bicycle mobility until 2024, along with the goal of ensuring security and to better cycling infrastructures. most of French bike users seemed to still feel unsecure when cycling in cities in a survey conducted in 2017.