The total population of France has been increasing for years now, exceeding 68 million inhabitants in 2025. However, like most Western nations, France is struggling with an aging population. Demographics in France For a few years, the population growth in France has been decreasing. However, unlike the majority of European countries, France appears to have a steady fertility rate of around 1.79 children per woman. This phenomenon allows France to be ranked as the most fertile country in Europe. But this cannot hide the fact that the population is getting older every year. An aging country The median age of French citizens has been increasing since the seventies. In 2050, the median age in France is expected to reach 43.5 years, compared to 35.2 years back in 1995. France has one of the highest life expectancies in Europe. Even though its birth rate seems pretty high compared to other European nations, this does not appear to be enough to slow down the growing trend of the French median age.

This statistic shows the population distribution in France on January 1st, 2024, by age group. In 2024, people aged under 15 accounted for 17 percent of the total French population, whereas around ten percent of the population were 75 years and older. By comparison, the number of members of the population over the age of 65 years has increased even more prominently, reaching 14.14 million in 2023. The number of people living in France has been steadily increasing since 1982, exceeding 68 million in 2024, having thus grown by seven percent during that time.

In 2025, the Ile-de-France region, sometimes called the Paris region, was the most populous in France. It is located in the northern part of France, divided into eight departments and crossed by the Seine River. The region contains Paris, its large suburbs, and several rural areas. The total population in metropolitan France was estimated at around 65 million inhabitants. In the DOM (Overseas Department), France had more than two million citizens spread over the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, and the South American territory of French Guyana. Ile-de-France: most populous region in France According to the source, more than 12 million French citizens lived in the Ile-de-France region. Ile-de-France was followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie region which is in the Southern part of the country. Ile-de-France is not only the most populated region in France, it is also the French region with the highest population density. In 2020, there were 1,021.6 residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France compared to 115.9 for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the second most populated region in France. More than two million people were living in the city of Paris in 2025. Thus, the metropolitan area outside the city of Paris, called suburbs or banlieue in French, had more than ten million inhabitants. Ile-de-France concentrates the majority of the country’s economic and political activities. An urban population In 2024, the total population of France amounted to over 68 million. The population in the country increased since the mid-2000s. As well as the other European countries, France is experiencing urbanization. In 2023, more than 81 percent of the French population lived in cities. This phenomenon shapes France’s geography.

This table contains data from the census of the municipal population since 2013 in the French municipalities. Collection Context The data is uploaded to the [INSEE] website(https://www.insee.fr/fr/accueil) and then integrated into a repository database to make it available to GIS users and departmental agents. The municipal population includes persons: having their habitual residence in the territory of the municipality, in a dwelling or community; detained in the penal institutions of the municipality; homeless persons registered in the territory of the municipality; usually residing in a mobile dwelling registered in the territory of the municipality. The municipal population of a group of municipalities is equal to the sum of the municipal populations of the municipalities that make up it. The concept of municipal population now corresponds to the concept of population used in statistics. It does not contain double accounts: every person living in France is counted once and only once. In 1999, the concept of a population without double counting corresponded to the notion of a statistical population. The concept of municipal population is defined by Decree No. 2003-485 published in the Official Journal of 8 June 2003 on the population census (source INSEE). Collection method Every year, the table is updated. A new field is created and filled in with the data from the last census of the municipal population. Attributes | field | Alias ▲ Type | – | – — | ‘objectID’ | | ‘integer’ | ‘Reg’ | | ‘char’ ▲ | ‘DEP’ | | ‘char’ ▲ | ‘CV’ | | ‘char’ ▲ | ‘CODGEO’ | | ‘char’ ▲ | ‘libgeo’ | | ‘char’ ▲ | ‘p13_pop’ | | ‘double’ ▲ | ‘p14_pop’ | | ‘double’ ▲ | ‘p15_pop’ | | ‘integer’ ▲ | ‘p16_pop’ | Municipal population 2019 – Census 2016 ⋆ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p17_pop’ | Municipal population 2020 – Census 2017 ⋆ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p18_pop’ | Municipal population 2021 – 2018 Census ▲ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p19_pop’ | Municipal population 2022 – 2019 Census ▲ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p20_pop’ | Municipal population 2023 – 2020 census ⋆ ‘integer’ | ‘p21_pop’ | Municipal population 2024 – Census 2021 ⋆ ‘integer’ -’ For more information, see the metadata on the Isogeo catalog.

In 2024, the female population in France amounted to more than 35 million. Like most of other European countries, France has a female population larger than its male population.

Female population in France

According to the source, the female population in France is increasing since 2004. That year there were more than 32 million women in France, compared to 34.1 million ten years later. Surprisingly, the total number of male births has always been higher than the total number of female births. However, life expectancy in the country is higher for women and the proportion between men and women in France appear to stabilize over time.

Women live longer than men

Studies have shown that the life expectancy at birth was higher than females than for male. In 2023, a baby boy born in France had a life expectancy of 80 years, while it reached 85.7 years for a baby girl. In Europe, as well, as in France, life expectancy gap between men and women is a consistent trend. Health issues and a riskier lifestyle could explain why women outlive men. In 2018, Madrid was the European area where both men and women had the longest life expectancy. It reached 87.8 years for females and 82.2 for males.

Population ages 15-64, total in France was reported at 41973641 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Population ages 15-64, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Population ages 10-14, female (% of female population) in France was reported at 5.7447 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Population ages 10-14, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Since 1990, the number of French men has risen from around 28 million to 33.12 million in 2024. The slightly higher increase recorded in 2014 is linked to the addition of men from the island of Mayotte, a French department located in the Indian Ocean.

This table contains data from the census of the municipal population in the French departments. Censuses for the following years are present in the table:

• 1968
• 1975
• 1982
• 1990
• from 2006 to 2021

Collection Context The data is uploaded to the [INSEE] website(https://www.insee.fr/fr/accueil) and then integrated into a repository database to make it available to GIS users and departmental agents.

The municipal population includes persons:

• having their habitual residence in the territory of the municipality, in a dwelling or community;

• detained in the penal institutions of the municipality;

• homeless persons registered in the territory of the municipality;

• usually residing in a mobile dwelling registered in the territory of the municipality. The municipal population of a group of municipalities is equal to the sum of the municipal populations of the municipalities that make up it.

The concept of municipal population now corresponds to the concept of population used in statistics. It does not contain double accounts: every person living in France is counted once and only once. In 1999, the concept of a population without double counting corresponded to the notion of a statistical population. The concept of municipal population is defined by Decree No. 2003-485 published in the Official Journal of 8 June 2003 on the population census (source INSEE).

Collection method Every year, the table is updated. A new field is created and filled in with the data from the last census of the municipal population.

Attributes | field | Alias ▲ Type | – | – — | ‘objectID’ | Unique identifier ‘integer’ | ‘Reg’ | Region code ⋆ ‘char’ -’ | ‘DEP’ | Department Number ▲ ‘char’ — | ‘dep_name’ | Department name ▲ ‘char’ | ‘superf’ | Area ▲ ‘double’ ⋆ | ‘d68_pop’ | Census 1968 ‘integer’ | ‘d75_pop’ | Census 1975 ‘integer’ | ‘d82_pop’ | Census 1982 ‘integer’ | ‘d90_pop’ | Census 1990 ‘integer’ | ‘p99_pop’ | Census 1999 ‘integer’ | ‘p06_pop’ | Census 2006 ‘integer’ | ‘p07_pop’ | Census 2007 ‘integer’ | ‘p08_pop’ | Census 2008 ‘integer’ | ‘p09_pop’ | Census 2009 ‘integer’ | ‘p10_pop’ | Census 2010 ‘integer’ | ‘p11_pop’ | Census 2011 ‘integer’ | ‘p12_pop’ | Municipal population 2015 – Census 2012 ‘integer’ | ‘p13_pop’ | Municipal population 2016 – Census 2013 ⋆ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p14_pop’ | Municipal population 2017 – 2014 Census ⋆ ‘integer’ — | ‘p15_pop’ | Municipal population 2018 – Census 2015 ⋆ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p16_pop’ | Municipal population 2019 – Census 2016 ⋆ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p17_pop’ | Municipal population 2020 – Census 2017 ⋆ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p18_pop’ | Municipal population 2021 – 2018 Census ▲ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p19_pop’ | Municipal population 2022 – 2019 Census ▲ ‘integer’ ⋆ | ‘p20_pop’ | Municipal population 2023 – 2020 census ⋆ ‘integer’ | ‘p21_pop’ | Municipal population 2024 – Census 2021 ⋆ ‘integer’ -’

For more information, see the metadata on the Isogeo catalog.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Lyon, France metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number) in France was reported at 817316 Persons in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Access to electricity (% of population) in France was reported at 100 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Access to electricity (% of population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Population ages 55-59, male (% of male population) in France was reported at 6.4606 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Population ages 55-59, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Forecast: Share of Population Connected to Public Sewerage in France 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Population Connected to Wastewater Treatment in France 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Projection of total population 2024-2050 Territorial entities: arrondissements (Wallonie), départements (Lorraine), Grand-Duché (Luxembourg), Kreise (Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz) Statistical data sources: Destatis, Eurostat, Statbel, STATEC, Statistisches Amt Saarland, Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. Calculations: OIE/IBA 2024 Geodata sources: ACT Luxembourg, IGN France, GeoBasis-DE / BKG, NGI-Belgium. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2024 Link to interactive map: https://map.gis-gr.eu/theme/main?version=3&zoom=8&X=708580&Y=6429642&lang=fr&rotation=0&layers=2425&opacities=1&bgLayer=basemap_2015_global Link to Geocatalog: https://geocatalogue.gis-gr.eu/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/05879c75-1c5f-4eea-be23-53e27662fb16 This dataset is published in the view service (WMS) available at: https://ws.geoportail.lu/wss/service/GR_Population_projection_WMS/guest with layer name(s): -Projection_20_64_years_2024_2050

This graph shows the distribution of the French millennial population by age group as of 2024. That year, women aged between 15 and 39 accounted for almost 31 percent of the French women population, while just over 28 percent of the male population in France was made up of people aged between 15 and 39.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Grenoble, France metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

Population in largest city in France was reported at 11208440 in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Avignon, France metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.