Urban population growth has been constant for several decades in France. Between 1960 and 2022, it rose from 61.88 percent to 81.51 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 ten 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 two 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 2,400 bicycles available in Toulouse or 4,000 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 2022, the rural population in France reached 18.49 percent of the total. Although the rate is very high, France has an urbanization rate equivalent to its European neighbors. In 2023, Europe was ranked third continent worldwide in terms of degree of urbanization. 75 percent of the European population was living in cities in 2023, but this figure is expected to decrease by 2050. In France, studies have shown that most of the population lives in urban areas, but many French citizens seemed to aspire to live in the countryside. France: an urban country From 2006 to 2020, the share of French residents living in rural areas kept decreasing, going from roughly 22.6 percent in 2006 to slightly more than 19 percent in 2020. According to Insee, a municipality is rural when it does not reach the threshold of 2,000 inhabitants. In France, more than 13 million individuals were living in the countryside in 2016. In comparison, the urban population amounted to 53 million people that same year and reached more than 80 percent of the total in 2022. The advantages of the countryside A survey conducted by Ifop in 2018 showed that 41 percent of French people wanted to live in a rural town. Despite common beliefs, the countryside appears to have a lot to offer. In addition to a more pleasant living environment, the employment situation seems to be more advantageous in French rural areas. In 2020, the percentage of unemployed people reached 5.5 percent in rural areas, compared to less than nine percent in cities. Similarly, the percentage of labor force participants is higher in rural areas.

In 2023, the share of urban population in France remained nearly unchanged at around 81.78 percent. Still, the share reached its highest value in the observed period in 2023. A country's urbanization rate refers to the share of the total population living in an urban setting. International comparisons of urbanization rates may be inconsistent, due to discrepancies between definitions of what constitutes an urban center (based on population size, area, or space between dwellings, among others).Find more key insights for the share of urban population in countries like Luxembourg and Belgium.

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 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 the year 1500, the share of Western Europe's population living in urban areas was just six percent, but this rose to 31 percent by the end of the 19th century. Despite this drastic change, development was quite slow between 1500 and 1800, and it was not until the industrial revolution when there was a spike in urbanization. As Britain was the first region to undergo the industrial revolution, from around the 1760s until the 1840s, these areas were the most urbanized in Europe by 1890. The Low Countries Prior to the 19th century, Belgium and the Netherlands had been the most urbanized regions due to the legacy of their proto-industrial areas in the medieval period, and then the growth of their port cities during the Netherlands' empirical expansion (Belgium was a part of the Netherlands until the 1830s). Belgium was also quick to industrialize in the 1800s, and saw faster development than its larger, more economically powerful neighbors, France and Germany. Least-urban areas Ireland was the only Western European region with virtually no urbanization in the 16th and 17th century, but the industrial growth of Belfast and Dublin (then major port cities of the British Empire) saw this change by the late-1800s. The region of Scandinavia was the least-urbanized area in Western Europe by 1890, but it saw rapid economic growth in Europe during the first half of the following century.

This bar chart shows the percentage of French people willing to move out from the city in order to live closer to nature in 2019, by gender. There was not much difference between the opinion of male and female respondents regarding the fact of leaving the city to live in the country. 37 percent of men actually declared that they would probably leave the urban way of life to be closer to nature. Even though most 30 percent of women shared the same opinion, it appears that the majority of women were not so sure about moving to the country.

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.

This bar chart shows the percentage of French willing to move out from the city or not in order to live closer to nature. It appears that the majority of respondents stated that they would be ready to leave the city to be closer to nature. Thus, 34 percent of the surveyed would probably leave the city, while 23 percent declared they would sure move out from the city if they had the opportunity.

This statistic shows the percentage of people in employment in France between 2014 and 2021, by geographical area. During the period studied, the employment rate grew by more than four points in rural areas, whereas it remained pretty stable in urban areas. The share of employed people was higher in rural areas (69.8 percent in 2020) than in urban areas (64 percent the same year).

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.

Food shopping is a recurring part of the everyday life. In 2019, the weekly grocery shopping ritual remained a reality for the majority of French people living in large cities, such as Paris or Marseille. In fact, only 11 percent of women did so less than once a week, compared to seven percent of men. Among those who ran errands two to three times a week, men were more concerned (43 percent) than women (38 percent).

This statistic shows the share of French people who have already listened to 8D music in 2020, by agglomeration size. That year, 38 percent of respondents from Paris had already listened to 8D music, while 16 percent of respondents living in cities of more than 1,000 inhabitants didn't know what 8D music was.

This bar chart shows the number of years French people have been living in the same city in 2019. It reveals that the majority of respondents, 36 percent of them, declared that they have been living in their city for more than 20 years.

It is estimated that Europe had an urbanization rate of approximately 8.5 percent in the year 1800. The Netherlands and Belgium were some of the most heavily urbanized regions, due the growth of port cities such as Rotterdam and Antwerp during Netherlands' empirical expansion, and the legacy of urbanization in the region, which stems from its wool and craft industries in medieval times. Additionally, the decline of their agricultural sectors and smaller territories contributed to a lower rural population. Scotland and England had also become more urban throughout the British Empire's growth, although the agricultural revolution of the previous two centuries, along with the first industrial revolution, then led to more rapid urbanization during the 19th century. In contrast, there was a large imbalance between the east and west of the continent; the two largest empires, Austria and Russia, had the lowest levels of urbanization in Europe in 1800, due to their vast territories, lower maritime presence, and lack of industrial development.

This chart displays the percentage of French people who are already, or would be willing, to prioritize second hand purchases or renting in a survey from 2019, by city size. It appears that 73 percent of responding French people living in cities of 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants declared that they already emphasized, or were ready to, purchase second hand products or rent, while 62 percent of residents in the Paris agglomeration stated the same.

This graph represents the ranking of the most attractive French cities for real estate investments according to French people in 2019. At that time, the most attractive city for real estate investments according to French people was Bordeaux with 19 percent, the second most interesting city was Nantes with 12 percent, and the third Paris with 11 percent.

After the first round of regional elections, which took place on June 20, 2021, in France, the results showed that a small part of the population voted in favor of the presidential majority. LREM and Modem parties were most popular in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, yet, even in these cities, these parties won only 15 percent of the vote. Conversely, the citizens who most supported the Rassemblement National were those living in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

This graph shows the proportion of French employees who go to work using public transportation in 2015, by city among urban areas of more than 400,000 inhabitants. The statistic reveals that more than 68 percent of Parisians employees used public transports to go to work.

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.