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.

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.

All cities with a population > 1000 or seats of adm div (ca 80.000)Sources and ContributionsSources : GeoNames is aggregating over hundred different data sources. Ambassadors : GeoNames Ambassadors help in many countries. Wiki : A wiki allows to view the data and quickly fix error and add missing places. Donations and Sponsoring : Costs for running GeoNames are covered by donations and sponsoring.Enrichment:add country name

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.

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.

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.

As of mid-2023, Paris recorded a public electric vehicle charging infrastructure index score of ** percent, indicative of how high the city's ratio of public chargers per 1,000 inhabitants was. The capital was the only French city to record an index score above ** percent. Strasbourg, which was second in the ranking, had a score of ** percent.

The French capital city of Paris concentrated around *** ophthalmologists in 2016, making it the city in France concentrating the highest number of these medical specialists. Furthermore, Marseille, in the south of France, had around *** ophthalmologists during that year.

The French capital city of Paris concentrated around *** cardiologists in 2017, making it the city in France concentrating the highest number of these medical specialists. Furthermore, Marseille, in the south of France, had around *** cardiologists during that year.

As of January 2025, there were slightly more than two million people living in the city of Paris. Considered to be the heart of France’s economic and political life, Paris is also part of the most populous region in the country. The Ile-de-France region, which can also be called the Paris area, with almost 12.5 million inhabitants, around six times the number of citizens living in the French capital. Being a Parisian Paris is the largest city in France, and as in a very centralized country, it is where the majority of big companies and all the national administrations are located. Therefore, it attracts a lot of people coming from all across the country to work and study in the French capital. The city has a lot to offer and people from Paris can enjoy a variety of cultural events like nowhere else in France. But if worldwide, Paris is known for its architecture and museums, the city also has disadvantages for Parisians. Thus, they spend sometimes more than one hour on public transport, and air pollution has become a rampant issue in the City of Lights these past years. An exceptionally dense region Paris area is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe. In 2020, there were 1,021.6 residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France. The region also welcomes millions of tourists every year, which has a direct impact on the housing market in a city that does not have a lot of available space.

Based on figures from the Ministry of the Interior, there were 27,131 municipal police officers in France in 2022. The French municipality with the highest number was Paris, France's capital city, followed by Marseille, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, and France's second-largest city, and by Nice. These cities are located in the two departments with the largest number of municipal police officers.

This statistic indicates the number of blood transfusion establishments in the ten largest cities of France in 2017. According to the INSEE, there were more than *** blood transfusion establishments in the French capital.

The fast-food industry tends to be particularly present in large French cities. Paris had the highest density of fast-food restaurants in France in 2021. In fact, 336 restaurants of leading fast-food chains were in operation in the French capital that year. The largest fast-food chain in the city was McDonald's in the same year.

Mcdonald's, the undisputed market leader in France

If Burger King made its return a few years ago on the French market and increasingly competes with McDonald's, the American giant of the fast-food remained unchallenged in 2020. Indeed, the brand generated the best revenue in the fast-food service industry and had the best coverage on the French territory.

Eating at fast-food restaurants in France

According to a survey conducted in 2019, if a majority of French people stated they enjoy eating at fast-food restaurants, most of them rarely go there. These consumers also affirmed going to those restaurants mainly because they would be quickly served. Furthermore, such establishments appeal to parents with young children under 18 years old and young people since a very large majority of 18-24-year-oldsfrequented fast-food establishments in 2019.

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.

Strasbourg was the most bike-friendly city in France according to its residents. The Alsatian capital was rated **** out of 6. According to the organizers of the survey, the threshold for a positive response was set at *** out of 6. Only two cities of ******* inhabitants thus obtained a positive score, Strasbourg and Nantes. Marseille was, in 2019, the least favorable city for bicycle use in a large French city.

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 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.

In 2018, the largest proportion of cosmetic production units in France were based near the French capital, in the Île-de-France region. Furthermore, more than one tenth (11.81 percent) of cosmetic manufacturers could be found in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region whose largest city is Lyon.

In 2023, the average price per square meter for rental apartments in France was the highest in Paris. In the French capital, the average price per square meter for rental flats reached almost ** euros, compared to ** euros in the second-largest French city, Marseille. Not only is Paris the most expensive city in France for renting an accommodation, it is also one of the most expensive in Europe.
Paris housing crisis The Paris region is the most populated area of France. It is also the most densely populated region of the country. In a very centralized country like France, the capital appears to be the center of the majority of economic and cultural activities, as well as the home of an important number of universities. Finding accommodation is becoming more and more difficult in a city which also attracts millions of tourists every year. The average cost of an apartment in Paris amounted to more than 10,000 euros per square meter, compared to nearly ***** euros per square meter in the French second-largest agglomeration: Lyon. The consequences of high prices in housing In Paris, renting a two-bedroom apartment costed more than ***** US dollars in 2018, making the city one of the most expensive worldwide. To cope with this price boom, residents of the Paris metropolitan area often live in one of the many suburbs of the city. Furthermore, the pollution of the French capital, as well as its traffic jams and congested public transports, often lead Parisians to change their lives and move elsewhere after a few years. In 2015, Bordeaux was named most attractive city to live in France. Paris was only ranked eighth.

In May 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic was the main concern of Parisians. While the pandemic is one of the top issues for the French in general, Parisians are more concerned than the rest of the population, with ** percent reporting the pandemic to be the major challenge facing Paris. The second most important concern for Parisians was the cleanliness of public spaces, such as streets and parks (** percent), and the third was air quality and pollution. An additional ** percent to considered housing to be a major issue. In January 2022, the capital remained the most expensive city in France to rent an apartment.