The population density in France was 123.27 people per square kilometer (47.24 per square mile) in 2021. This number has been slowly increasing for the past ten years. Higher population density is associated with urbanization, but not necessarily economic growth.

Comparative densities

France’s population density is higher than the European average. In fact, it is higher than any region except Asia, as well as the total world population density. This is likely due to the number of large cities in France. The country has one of the largest urban populations in the world. This shapes the French economic and social landscapes; the cities become more expensive, but they also bring more economic opportunities. These opportunites attract people both from the French countryside and other countries who hope to benefit from such jobs.

A tale of two countries

For those who can afford it, Paris can be a cosmopolitan paradise. However, with the average price of a rental apartment twice that of most other French cities, few can afford to live in the richest parts of the city. This stark difference in costs implies that average annual wages should have a similar difference between cities. While this is not a perfectly even cause and effect, it gives some explanation for the increasing population density of France.

This bar chart presents the estimated population density in the Ile-de-France region (Paris area), in France in 2023, by district. It appears that the city of Paris counted approximately 20,025 inhabitants per square kilometer, making it the most densely populated department in the region.

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 region: most densely populated French regions In 2020, Ile-de-France was the French region with the highest population density. According to the source, there were 1,021.6 residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France. In 2023, more than 12.35 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 Guyanne, the largest overseas department, which has the lowest density in France with only 3.4 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 123.27 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2021, compared to 116.91 in 2007. Ile-de-France, and particularly Paris, is the center of most of 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 which 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 region 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.

Chart and table of France population density from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

France population density for 400m H3 hexagons.

Built from Kontur Population: Global Population Density for 400m H3 Hexagons Vector H3 hexagons with population counts at 400m resolution.

Fixed up fusion of GHSL, Facebook, Microsoft Buildings, Copernicus Global Land Service Land Cover, Land Information New Zealand, and OpenStreetMap data.

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.

France FR: Population Density: Inhabitants per sq km data was reported at 124.080 Person in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 123.710 Person for 2021. France FR: Population Density: Inhabitants per sq km data is updated yearly, averaging 115.770 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2022, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 124.080 Person in 2022 and a record low of 103.570 Person in 1990. France FR: Population Density: Inhabitants per sq km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: OECD Member: Annual.

Demographics data France 2023 at municipality level - 24+ attributes, including number of households, household structure, number of families, family structure, and more.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 30 arc-seconds (approximately 1km at the equator)

-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population UN adjusted count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel, adjusted to match the country total from the official United Nations population estimates (UN 2019), by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00674

Since 1968, the population density in the city of Marseille, located in the south of France, has fluctuated and generally decreased. Indeed, there were about 3,628 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2021, compared with 3,694.7 in 1968. The year in which the population density was highest was 1975, and the year in which it was lowest was 1999.Marseille is the second largest city in France in terms of population, following Paris.

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.

The world's most accurate population datasets. Seven maps/datasets for the distribution of various populations in France: (1) Overall population density (2) Women (3) Men (4) Children (ages 0-5) (5) Youth (ages 15-24) (6) Elderly (ages 60+) (7) Women of reproductive age (ages 15-49).

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• Population density 2019 (inhabitants per km²), Lorraine: 2017 - Territorial entities: arrondissements (Wallonie), zones d'emploi (Lorraine), cantons (Luxembourg), Kreise (Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz) - Statistical data sources: Destatis, Eurostat, INSEE, Statbel, STATEC. Harmonization: IBA / OIE 2020 - Geodata sources: GeoBasis-DE / BKG 2017, IGN France 2017, NGI-Belgium 2017, ACT Luxembourg 2017. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2020

In recent decades, the number of prisoners per 100 places has fluctuated in France. The year 1990 was the year with the highest density, with 124 prisoners per 100 places, whereas 2001 was the year with the lowest. In 2023, French prisons had an average of 119 prisoners per 100 operational places. Since the 1980s, the number of prisoners in France has increased steadily.

Density of nursing and midwifery personnel of France slumped by 8.51% from 10.3 number per thousand population in 2020 to 9.4 number per thousand population in 2021. Since the 0.99% rise in 2019, density of nursing and midwifery personnel dropped by 7.70% in 2021.

Demographics data France 2023 at municipality level - 16 attributes, including number of dwellings, dwelling types, occupancy, and more

Ecological data to supplement the collective biographical investigation of the connection between the character of the social system and the type of power organization in France in the middle of the 19th century depicted through the structure and behavior of leading parliamentary groups.

Topics: Evaluation of official statistics from the years 1841, 1846 and 1851 giving information on population density, population figures according to city classes, population shift, population structure according to professional classes, structure of agricultural organizations, land prices and the number of eligible voters.

In 2020, there were about 10,909 inhabitants per square kilometer in the city of Lyon, in France. Between 1968 and 1982, the population density of the city fell from almost 11,026 people per square kilometer to around 8,630. After that, the population density of France's third biggest city started increasing again, and there were already around 9,306 inhabitants per square kilometer in 1999.

Incidence of lung cancer in France (2011) as a function of population density and social deprivation.