This table lists the 101 French departments in descending order of population, area and population density.
The figures include:
The total population takes into account double counting.
Between 1999 and 2006 all French departments had grown in population with the exception of the following seven departments: Allier and Cantal in Auvergne, Creuse in Limousin, Ardennes and Haute-Marne in Champagne-Ardenne, Nièvre in Burgundy, and Vosges in Lorraine. See population decline for more information.
In contrast the seven departments that have gained the most population in absolute value are Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Bouches-du-Rhône, Seine-Saint-Denis, Loire-Atlantique, Hauts-de Seine, and Hérault.
Guadeloupe has seemingly lost population between 1999 and 2008. However, this diminution of the legal population is due to the creation of the overseas communities of Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin. In the 1999 census, the population of Guadeloupe without the arrondissement of Saint-Martin-Saint-Barthélemy was 386,566 inhabitants. The department's population has actually increased by more than 15,000 people over the period based on a constant territory.
2019 Rank | Department | Legal population in 1931 | Legal population in 1999 | Legal population in 2008 | Legal population in 2019 [2] | Area (km²) | Pop. density (Pop./km²) [3] | INSEE Dept. No. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nord | 2,029,449 | 2,555,020 | 2,564,959 | 2,608,346 | 5,743 | 454 | 59 |
2 | Paris | 2,891,020 | 2,125,246 | 2,211,297 | 2,165,423 | 105 | 20,545 | 75 |
3 | Bouches-du-Rhône | 1,101,672 | 1,835,719 | 1,966,005 | 2,043,110 | 5,087 | 402 | 13 |
4 | Rhône | 1,046,028 | 1,578,869 | 1,690,498 | 1,875,747 [4] | 3,249 | 583 | 69 |
5 | Seine-Saint-Denis | 769,315 | 1,382,861 | 1,506,466 | 1,644,903 | 236 | 6,964 | 93 |
6 | Hauts-de-Seine | 949,231 | 1,428,881 | 1,549,619 | 1,624,357 | 176 | 9,250 | 92 |
7 | Gironde | 852,768 | 1,287,334 | 1,421,276 | 1,623,749 | 10,725 | 163 | 33 |
8 | Pas-de-Calais | 1,205,191 | 1,441,568 | 1,459,531 | 1,465,278 | 6,671 | 220 | 62 |
9 | Yvelines | 408,282 | 1,354,308 | 1,406,053 | 1,448,207 | 2,284 | 634 | 78 |
10 | Loire-Atlantique | 652,079 | 1,134,266 | 1,255,871 | 1,429,272 | 6,815 | 208 | 44 |
11 | Seine-et-Marne | 406,108 | 1,193,767 | 1,303,702 | 1,421,197 | 5,915 | 240 | 77 |
Lyon Metropolis [5] | - | - | - | 1,411,571 | 534 | 2,645 | 69M | |
12 | Val-de-Marne | 657,322 | 1,227,250 | 1,310,876 | 1,407,124 | 245 | 5,743 | 94 |
13 | Haute-Garonne | 441,799 | 1,046,338 | 1,217,344 | 1,400,039 | 6,309 | 222 | 31 |
14 | Essonne | 271,094 | 1,134,238 | 1,205,850 | 1,301,659 | 1,804 | 721 | 91 |
15 | Isère | 584,017 | 1,094,006 | 1,188,660 | 1,271,166 | 7,431 | 171 | 38 |
16 | Seine-Maritime | 905,278 | 1,239,138 | 1,248,580 | 1,255,633 | 6,278 | 200 | 76 |
17 | Val-d'Oise | 353,374 | 1,105,464 | 1,165,397 | 1,249,674 | 1,246 | 1,003 | 95 |
18 | Hérault | 514,819 | 896,441 | 1,019,798 | 1,175,623 | 6,101 | 193 | 34 |
19 | Bas-Rhin | 688,242 | 1,026,120 | 1,091,015 | 1,140,057 | 4,755 | 240 | 67 |
20 | Alpes-Maritimes | 493,376 | 1,011,326 | 1,084,428 | 1,094,283 | 4,299 | 255 | 06 |
21 | Ille-et-Vilaine | 562,558 | 867,533 | 967,588 | 1,079,498 | 6,775 | 159 | 35 |
22 | Var | 377,104 | 898,441 | 1,001,408 | 1,076,711 | 5,973 | 180 | 83 |
23 | Moselle | 693,408 | 1,023,447 | 1,042,230 | 1,046,543 | 6,216 | 168 | 57 |
24 | Finistère | 744,295 | 852,418 | 890,509 | 915,090 | 6,733 | 136 | 29 |
25 | Réunion | – | 706,300 | 808,250 | 861,210 | 2,504 | 344 | 974 |
26 | Oise | 407,432 | 766,441 | 799,725 | 829,419 | 5,860 | 142 | 60 |
27 | Haute-Savoie | 252,794 | 631,679 | 716,277 | 826,094 | 4,388 | 188 | 74 |
28 | Maine-et-Loire | 475,991 | 732,942 | 774,823 | 818,273 | 7,166 | 115 | 49 |
29 | Haut-Rhin | 516,726 | 708,025 | 746,072 | 767,086 | 3,525 | 218 | 68 |
30 | Loire | 664,822 | 728,524 | 742,076 | 765,634 | 4,781 | 160 | 42 |
31 | Morbihan | 537,528 | 643,873 | 710,034 | 759,684 | 6,823 | 111 | 56 |
32 | Gard | 406,815 | 623,125 | 694,323 | 748,437 | 5,853 | 128 | 30 |
33 | Meurthe-et-Moselle | 592,632 | 713,779 | 729,768 | 733,760 | 5,246 | 140 | 54 |
34 | Calvados | 401,356 | 648,385 | 678,206 | 694,905 | 5,548 | 126 | 14 |
35 | Vendée | 390,396 | 539,664 | 616,906 | 685,442 | 6,720 | 102 | 85 |
36 | Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 422,719 | 600,018 | 647,420 | 682,621 | 7,645 | 89 | 64 |
37 | Loiret | 342,679 | 618,126 | 650,769 | 680,434 | 6,775 | 100 | 45 |
38 | Puy-de-Dôme | 500,590 | 604,266 | 628,485 | 662,152 | 7,970 | 83 | 63 |
39 | Ain | 322,918 | 515,270 | 581,355 | 652,432 | 5,762 | 113 | 01 |
40 | Charente-Maritime | 415,249 | 557,024 | 611,714 | 651,358 | 6,864 | 95 | 17 |
41 | Indre-et-Loire | 335,226 | 554,003 | 585,406 | 610,079 | 6,127 | 100 | 37 |
42 | Côtes-d'Armor | 539,531 | 542,373 | 581,570 | 600,582 | 6,878 | 87 | 22 |
43 | Eure | 305,788 | 541,054 | 577,087 | 599,507 | 6,040 | 99 | 27 |
44 | Somme | 466,626 | 555,551 | 568,086 | 570,559 | 6,170 | 93 | 80 |
45 | Marne | 412,156 | 565,229 | 566,010 | 566,855 | 8,162 | 69 | 51 |
46 | Sarthe | 384,619 | 529,851 | 559,587 | 566,412 | 6,206 | 91 | 72 |
47 | Vaucluse | 241,689 | 499,685 | 538,902 | 561,469 | 3,567 | 157 | 84 |
48 | Saône-et-Loire | 538,741 | 544,893 | 553,968 | 551,493 | 8,575 | 64 | 71 |
49 | Doubs | 305,500 | 499,062 | 522,685 | 543,974 | 5,234 | 104 | 25 |
50 | Côte-d'Or | 333,800 | 506,755 | 521,608 | 534,124 | 8,763 | 61 | 21 |
51 | Aisne | 489,368 | 535,489 | 538,790 | 531,345 | 7,369 | 72 | 02 |
52 | Drôme | 267,080 | 437,778 | 478,069 | 516,762 | 6,530 | 79 | 26 |
53 | Manche | 433,473 | 481,471 | 496,937 | 495,045 | 5,938 | 83 | 50 |
54 | Pyrénées-Orientales | 238,647 | 392,803 | 441,387 | 479,979 | 4,116 | 117 | 66 |
55 | Vienne | 303,072 | 399,024 | 424,354 | 438,435 | 6,990 | 63 | 86 |
56 | Savoie | 235,544 | 373,258 | 408,842 | 436,434 | 6,028 | 72 | 73 |
57 | Eure-et-Loir | 254,790 | 407,665 | 423,559 | 431,575 | 5,880 | 73 | 28 |
58 | Landes | 257,186 | 327,334 | 373,142 | 413,690 | 9,243 | 45 | 40 |
59 | Dordogne | 383,720 | 388,293 | 409,388 | 413,223 | 9,060 | 46 | 24 |
60 | Tarn | 302,994 | 343,402 | 371,738 | 389,844 | 5,758 | 68 | 81 |
61 | Guadeloupe | – | 422,496 | 401,784 | 384,239 | 1,628 [6] | 236 | 971 |
62 | Deux-Sèvres | 308,481 | 344,392 | 365,059 | 374,878 | 5,999 | 63 | 79 |
63 | Aude | 296,880 | 309,770 | 349,237 | 374,070 | 6,139 | 61 | 11 |
64 | Haute-Vienne | 335,873 | 353,893 | 373,940 | 372,359 | 5,520 | 68 | 87 |
65 | Martinique | – | 381,427 | 397,693 | 364,508 | 1,128 | 323 | 972 |
66 | Vosges | 377,980 | 380,952 | 380,145 | 364,499 | 5,874 | 62 | 88 |
67 | Charente | 310,489 | 339,628 | 351,581 | 352,015 | 5,956 | 59 | 16 |
68 | Allier | 373,924 | 344,721 | 342,807 | 335,975 | 7,340 | 46 | 03 |
69 | Yonne | 275,755 | 333,221 | 342,359 | 335,707 | 7,427 | 45 | 89 |
70 | Lot-et-Garonne | 247,500 | 305,380 | 326,399 | 331,271 | 5,361 | 62 | 47 |
71 | Loir-et-Cher | 241,592 | 314,968 | 326,599 | 329,470 | 6,343 | 52 | 41 |
72 | Ardèche | 282,911 | 286,023 | 311,452 | 328,278 | 5,529 | 59 | 07 |
73 | Aube | 242,596 | 292,131 | 301,327 | 310,242 | 6,004 | 52 | 10 |
74 | Mayenne | 254,479 | 285,338 | 302,983 | 307,062 | 5,175 | 59 | 53 |
75 | Cher | 293,918 | 314,428 | 313,251 | 302,306 | 7,235 | 42 | 18 |
76 | Guyane | – | 157,213 | 219,266 | 281,678 | 83,534 | 3 | 973 |
77 | Orne | 273,717 | 292,337 | 292,282 | 279,942 | 6,103 | 46 | 61 |
78 | Aveyron | 323,782 | 263,808 | 275,889 | 279,595 | 8,735 | 32 | 12 |
79 | Ardennes | 293,746 | 290,130 | 284,197 | 270,582 | 5,229 | 52 | 08 |
80 | Mayotte | – | 131,320 [7] | 186,452 [8] | 269,579 [9] | 374 | 720 | 976 |
81 | Tarn-et-Garonne | 164,259 | 206,034 | 235,915 | 260,669 | 3,718 | 70 | 82 |
82 | Jura | 229,109 | 250,857 | 260,740 | 259,199 | 4,999 | 52 | 39 |
83 | Corrèze | 264,129 | 232,576 | 242,896 | 240,073 | 5,857 | 41 | 19 |
84 | Haute-Saône | 219,257 | 229,732 | 238,548 | 235,313 | 5,360 | 44 | 70 |
85 | Hautes-Pyrénées | 189,993 | 222,368 | 229,079 | 229,567 | 4,464 | 51 | 65 |
86 | Haute-Loire | 251,608 | 209,113 | 221,834 | 227,570 | 4,977 | 46 | 43 |
87 | Indre | 247,912 | 231,139 | 232,004 | 219,316 | 6,791 | 32 | 36 |
88 | Nièvre | 255,195 | 225,198 | 220,653 | 204,452 | 6,817 | 30 | 58 |
89 | Gers | 193,134 | 172,335 | 185,266 | 191,377 | 6,257 | 31 | 32 |
90 | Meuse | 215,819 | 192,198 | 194,218 | 184,083 | 6,211 | 30 | 55 |
91 | Haute-Corse | – | 141,603 | 162,013 | 181,933 | 4,666 | 39 | 2B |
92 | Lot | 166,637 | 160,197 | 172,796 | 174,094 | 5,217 | 33 | 46 |
93 | Haute-Marne | 189,791 | 194,873 | 186,470 | 172,512 | 6,211 | 28 | 52 |
94 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 87,566 | 139,561 | 157,965 | 164,308 | 6,925 | 24 | 04 |
95 | Corse-du-Sud | – | 118,593 | 140,953 | 158,507 | 4,014 | 40 | 2A |
96 | Ariège | 161,265 | 137,205 | 150,201 | 153,287 | 4,890 | 31 | 09 |
97 | Cantal | 193,505 | 150,778 | 148,737 | 144,692 | 5,726 | 25 | 15 |
98 | Territoire de Belfort | 99,403 | 137,408 | 141,958 | 141,318 | 609 | 232 | 90 |
99 | Hautes-Alpes | 87,566 | 121,419 | 134,205 | 141,220 | 5,549 | 26 | 05 |
100 | Creuse | 207,882 | 124,470 | 123,907 | 116,617 | 5,565 | 21 | 23 |
101 | Lozère | 101,849 | 73,509 | 76,973 | 76,604 | 5,167 | 15 | 48 |
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The administrative divisions of France are concerned with the institutional and territorial organization of French territory. These territories are located in many parts of the world. There are many administrative divisions, which may have political, electoral (districts), or administrative objectives. All the inhabited territories are represented in the National Assembly, Senate and Economic and Social Council and their citizens have French citizenship and elect the President of France.
French America, sometimes called Franco-America, in contrast to Anglo-America, is the French-speaking community of people and their diaspora, notably those tracing back origins to New France, the early French colonization of the Americas. The Canadian province of Quebec is the centre of the community and is the point of origin of most of French America. It also includes communities in all provinces of Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Lucia and Haiti in the Caribbean; French Guiana in South America. Also there are minorities of French speakers in part of the United States, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago.
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Saint Barthélemy, officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, also known as St Barts (English) or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. The island lies about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of the island of Saint Martin; it is northeast of the Dutch islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius, as well as north of the independent country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
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