Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Paris, France metro area from 1950 to 2025.

This graph shows the estimated population in the city of Paris from 1989 to 2025. It appears that the number of inhabitants in the French capital decreased since 2012 and from 2.24 million Parisians that year down to 2.05 million in 2025. The high price of rents in the French capital might explain why a lot of people leave Paris to live in cheaper cities in France or the Paris agglomeration.

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 Guiana. Ile-de-France: most populous region in France According to the source, more than ** 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 ******* residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France compared to ***** 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 the 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 has increased since the mid-2000s. As well as the other European countries, France is experiencing urbanization. In 2023, more than ** percent of the French population lived in cities. This phenomenon shapes France’s geography.

With over 21,300 air services, the connection between Paris and Nice was the most served route between the French capital and domestic destinations in 2022. Toulouse was the second-most frequent connection from Paris, with around 19,600 flights connecting the cities in the same year.

This bar chart presents the estimated population density in the Ile-de-France region (Paris area), in France, in 2025, by district. It appears that the city of Paris counted approximately 19,509 inhabitants per square kilometer, making it the most densely populated department in the region.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for Paris city, Texas. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

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.

Urban population (% of total population) in France was reported at 81.78 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for Paris city, Tennessee. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for Paris city, Illinois. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

This graph presents the forecasted population of Paris, France, from 2018 to 2070 in thousands of inhabitants. It appears that the Paris population was expected to decrease between 2018 and 2070. By 2070, the Paris population was forecasted to reach nearly 1.96 million inhabitants.

The present study aimed to assess socioeconomic inequalities in general and mental health, depression and substance use disorders (daily tobacco use, hazardous alcohol use). Data from the 2010 SIRS (French acronym for Health, Inequalities, and Social Ruptures) study, which is deemed to be representative of the French-speaking adult population living in the Paris Metropolitan Area, were analysed. Different socioeconomic position indicators were selected: education, income and perceived financial status. Absolute measures (the slope index of inequality (SII)) and relative measures (the odds ratio (OR) and relative index of inequality (RII)) of health inequalities were used. The OR, RII and SII were adjusted for age, household type and migration characteristics and all analyses were performed separately for men and women. The study included 3,006 adults. The results showed significant relative and absolute socioeconomic inequalities in general, mental health and depression for all socioeconomic position indicators considered (education, income, and perceived financial status). The absolute inequalities were greater for women than for men. Strongest inequalities were observed by perceived financial status for men and women. Education seemed to play a stronger role in inequalities for women, whereas, for men, income seemed to play a stronger role. Only few socioeconomic inequalities were found in daily tobacco use, while a reversed gradient was observed for hazardous alcohol use. We hope that these results will be regularly re-evaluated and compared across time in order to monitor socioeconomic inequalities in health.

This bar chart presents the population of the city of Paris in France in 2020, distributed by district, also called arrondissement in French. It shows that the XVe arrondissement, located on the left bank of the river Seine, was the most populous district with more than 231,000 inhabitants.

INSEE zoning comprising a commune or a group of municipalities which includes in its territory a built-up area of at least 2,000 inhabitants where no dwelling is separated from the nearest to more than 200 metres. In addition, each municipality concerned has more than half of its population in this built-up area. The concept of urban unity is based on the continuity of the building and the number of inhabitants. An urban unit is a municipality or group of municipalities with a continuous building area (no cut-off of more than 200 metres between two buildings) with at least 2,000 inhabitants. If the urban unit is located in a single municipality, it is referred to as an isolated city. If the urban unit extends over several municipalities, and each of these municipalities concentrates more than half of its population in the continuous built-up area, it is referred to as a multi-communal agglomeration. Code “size of the urban unit” (based on the municipal population in the 2007 census for UU 2010): 0-Rural 1-Urban units from 2 000 to 4 999 inhabitants 2-Urban units from 5,000 to 9,999 inhabitants 3-Urban units from 10,000 to 19,999 inhabitants 4-Urban units from 20,000 to 49,999 inhabitants 5-Urban units from 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants 6-Urban units from 100,000 to 199 999 inhabitants 7-Urban units from 200 000 to 1,999 999 inhabitants 8-Agglomeration of Paris Code “Urban unit type” 0-Unit of rural municipalities of the department 1-Single city or single-community urban unit 2-Intra-departmental agglomeration 3-Inter-departmental agglomeration 4-Interregional agglomeration 5-International agglomeration

Socioeconomic inequalities in health and substance use disorders according to socioeconomic position indicators: Odds ratio, relative index of inequality and slope index of inequality controlled for age, household type and migration characteristics (95% confidence interval).

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.

Main dataThis data file contains all variables used for the analyses reported in our article published in PLOS One. It is a CSV file that contains 48 variables for 2994 subjects. Data originate from from the 2010 wave of the SIRS cohort, a representative socio-epidemiological survey of the French-speaking adult (≥18) population conducted since 2005 in the Paris metropolitan area (population 6.5 million). Further description of the data is available in the ReadMe file.data.csv

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.

France’s urban passenger land transport industry is deeply rooted in the development of extensive transport networks, particularly in Paris, where public transit remains integral to the city’s daily life. State-owned entities like RATP and SNCF play a pivotal role in maintaining and optimising vast and efficient systems of metros, trams and buses to meet the demands of a steadily growing urban population in France. Continuous investments in connectivity improvements and modernisation projects support and enhance these networks, facilitating the advancement of sustainable urban mobility solutions across metropolitan regions. Over the five years through 2025, industry revenue is expected to climb at a compound annual rate of 4.1% to €10.2 billion, with an expected hike of 0.5% in 2025.France’s urban passenger land transport industry is currently witnessing significant transformations, driven by a strong focus on sustainability and technological advancements. Key initiatives, like RATP’s Bus2025, highlight efforts towards electrifying bus fleets and reducing environmental impacts, while SNCF's introduction of energy-efficient trains exemplifies advancements in rail transport. Cities, including Lyon and Marseille, are investing heavily in electric buses and modernising their transport infrastructures to future-proof their systems. Concurrently, modern ticketing systems are being enhanced to offer greater operational efficiency and user convenience. These innovations and strategic public-private partnerships foster increased ridership and service quality. The future of France's urban passenger land transport industry is poised for significant enhancement through ambitious initiatives like the Grand Paris Express project and developments in autonomous vehicle technology. Such projects aim to substantially improve connectivity across regions, accommodating millions more passengers while alleviating congestion. Over the five years through 2030, revenue is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 1.1% to €10.8 billion. Despite challenges posed by emerging micromobility options, the potential for integration offers new growth opportunities. Embracing technological advancements, including autonomous vehicles and smart data-driven operations, will be critical for maintaining competitive advantage. These forward-thinking measures will ensure that France continues to lead in urban transportation efficiency and sustainability, effectively addressing evolving consumer demands and positioning the industry for long-term success.

Cette carte représente la proportion des moins de 18 ans. C'est à dire le rapport entre la population des moins de 18 ans et la population totale. On distingue très clairement les zones où la proportion des moins de 18 ans est la plus importante (en jaune). Dans la majeure partie des cas, cette proportion augmente plus on s'éloigne des centres villes. Les données utilisées proviennent du produit FranceIRIS® développé par Esri France.