List of French departments by population

French departments by legal population in 2013

Population density by department (population per sq km)

This table lists the 101 French departments in descending order of population, area and population density.

Data description

The figures include:

• population without double counting for 1999;
• municipal population (legal population in 2008, with effect from 1 January 2011) ^[1] published in decree No. 2010-1723 of 30 December 2010 as amended by Decree No. 2011-343 of 28 March 2011 which corresponds to data compiled as at 1 January 2008.
• municipal population (legal population in 2019 with effect from 1 January 2022) ^[2]

The total population takes into account double counting.

Evolution

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.

List of departments by descending population

Department	Legal population [2]				Area km2	Density /km2 [3]	INSEE Dept. No.
	1931	1999	2008	2019
Nord	2,029,449	2,555,020	2,564,959	2,608,346	5,743	454	59
Paris	2,891,020	2,125,246	2,211,297	2,165,423	105	20,545	75
Bouches-du-Rhône	1,101,672	1,835,719	1,966,005	2,043,110	5,087	402	13
Rhône	1,046,028	1,578,869	1,690,498	1,875,747 [4]	3,249	583	69
Seine-Saint-Denis	769,315	1,382,861	1,506,466	1,644,903	236	6,964	93
Hauts-de-Seine	949,231	1,428,881	1,549,619	1,624,357	176	9,250	92
Gironde	852,768	1,287,334	1,421,276	1,623,749	10,725	163	33
Pas-de-Calais	1,205,191	1,441,568	1,459,531	1,465,278	6,671	220	62
Yvelines	408,282	1,354,308	1,406,053	1,448,207	2,284	634	78
Loire-Atlantique	652,079	1,134,266	1,255,871	1,429,272	6,815	208	44
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
Val-de-Marne	657,322	1,227,250	1,310,876	1,407,124	245	5,743	94
Haute-Garonne	441,799	1,046,338	1,217,344	1,400,039	6,309	222	31
Essonne	271,094	1,134,238	1,205,850	1,301,659	1,804	721	91
Isère	584,017	1,094,006	1,188,660	1,271,166	7,431	171	38
Seine-Maritime	905,278	1,239,138	1,248,580	1,255,633	6,278	200	76
Val-d'Oise	353,374	1,105,464	1,165,397	1,249,674	1,246	1,003	95
Hérault	514,819	896,441	1,019,798	1,175,623	6,101	193	34
Bas-Rhin	688,242	1,026,120	1,091,015	1,140,057	4,755	240	67
Alpes-Maritimes	493,376	1,011,326	1,084,428	1,094,283	4,299	255	06
Ille-et-Vilaine	562,558	867,533	967,588	1,079,498	6,775	159	35
Var	377,104	898,441	1,001,408	1,076,711	5,973	180	83
Moselle	693,408	1,023,447	1,042,230	1,046,543	6,216	168	57
Finistère	744,295	852,418	890,509	915,090	6,733	136	29
Réunion	–	706,300	808,250	861,210	2,504	344	974
Oise	407,432	766,441	799,725	829,419	5,860	142	60
Haute-Savoie	252,794	631,679	716,277	826,094	4,388	188	74
Maine-et-Loire	475,991	732,942	774,823	818,273	7,166	115	49
Haut-Rhin	516,726	708,025	746,072	767,086	3,525	218	68
Loire	664,822	728,524	742,076	765,634	4,781	160	42
Morbihan	537,528	643,873	710,034	759,684	6,823	111	56
Gard	406,815	623,125	694,323	748,437	5,853	128	30
Meurthe-et-Moselle	592,632	713,779	729,768	733,760	5,246	140	54
Calvados	401,356	648,385	678,206	694,905	5,548	126	14
Vendée	390,396	539,664	616,906	685,442	6,720	102	85
Pyrénées-Atlantiques	422,719	600,018	647,420	682,621	7,645	89	64
Loiret	342,679	618,126	650,769	680,434	6,775	100	45
Puy-de-Dôme	500,590	604,266	628,485	662,152	7,970	83	63
Ain	322,918	515,270	581,355	652,432	5,762	113	01
Charente-Maritime	415,249	557,024	611,714	651,358	6,864	95	17
Indre-et-Loire	335,226	554,003	585,406	610,079	6,127	100	37
Côtes-d'Armor	539,531	542,373	581,570	600,582	6,878	87	22
Eure	305,788	541,054	577,087	599,507	6,040	99	27
Somme	466,626	555,551	568,086	570,559	6,170	93	80
Marne	412,156	565,229	566,010	566,855	8,162	69	51
Sarthe	384,619	529,851	559,587	566,412	6,206	91	72
Vaucluse	241,689	499,685	538,902	561,469	3,567	157	84
Saône-et-Loire	538,741	544,893	553,968	551,493	8,575	64	71
Doubs	305,500	499,062	522,685	543,974	5,234	104	25
Côte-d'Or	333,800	506,755	521,608	534,124	8,763	61	21
Aisne	489,368	535,489	538,790	531,345	7,369	72	02
Drôme	267,080	437,778	478,069	516,762	6,530	79	26
Manche	433,473	481,471	496,937	495,045	5,938	83	50
Pyrénées-Orientales	238,647	392,803	441,387	479,979	4,116	117	66
Vienne	303,072	399,024	424,354	438,435	6,990	63	86
Savoie	235,544	373,258	408,842	436,434	6,028	72	73
Eure-et-Loir	254,790	407,665	423,559	431,575	5,880	73	28
Landes	257,186	327,334	373,142	413,690	9,243	45	40
Dordogne	383,720	388,293	409,388	413,223	9,060	46	24
Tarn	302,994	343,402	371,738	389,844	5,758	68	81
Guadeloupe	–	422,496	401,784	384,239	1,628 [6]	236	971
Deux-Sèvres	308,481	344,392	365,059	374,878	5,999	63	79
Aude	296,880	309,770	349,237	374,070	6,139	61	11
Haute-Vienne	335,873	353,893	373,940	372,359	5,520	68	87
Martinique	–	381,427	397,693	364,508	1,128	323	972
Vosges	377,980	380,952	380,145	364,499	5,874	62	88
Charente	310,489	339,628	351,581	352,015	5,956	59	16
Allier	373,924	344,721	342,807	335,975	7,340	46	03
Yonne	275,755	333,221	342,359	335,707	7,427	45	89
Lot-et-Garonne	247,500	305,380	326,399	331,271	5,361	62	47
Loir-et-Cher	241,592	314,968	326,599	329,470	6,343	52	41
Ardèche	282,911	286,023	311,452	328,278	5,529	59	07
Aube	242,596	292,131	301,327	310,242	6,004	52	10
Mayenne	254,479	285,338	302,983	307,062	5,175	59	53
Cher	293,918	314,428	313,251	302,306	7,235	42	18
Guyane	–	157,213	219,266	281,678	83,534	3	973
Orne	273,717	292,337	292,282	279,942	6,103	46	61
Aveyron	323,782	263,808	275,889	279,595	8,735	32	12
Ardennes	293,746	290,130	284,197	270,582	5,229	52	08
Mayotte	–	131,320 [7]	186,452 [8]	269,579 [9]	374	720	976
Tarn-et-Garonne	164,259	206,034	235,915	260,669	3,718	70	82
Jura	229,109	250,857	260,740	259,199	4,999	52	39
Corrèze	264,129	232,576	242,896	240,073	5,857	41	19
Haute-Saône	219,257	229,732	238,548	235,313	5,360	44	70
Hautes-Pyrénées	189,993	222,368	229,079	229,567	4,464	51	65
Haute-Loire	251,608	209,113	221,834	227,570	4,977	46	43
Indre	247,912	231,139	232,004	219,316	6,791	32	36
Nièvre	255,195	225,198	220,653	204,452	6,817	30	58
Gers	193,134	172,335	185,266	191,377	6,257	31	32
Meuse	215,819	192,198	194,218	184,083	6,211	30	55
Haute-Corse	–	141,603	162,013	181,933	4,666	39	2B
Lot	166,637	160,197	172,796	174,094	5,217	33	46
Haute-Marne	189,791	194,873	186,470	172,512	6,211	28	52
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence	87,566	139,561	157,965	164,308	6,925	24	04
Corse-du-Sud	–	118,593	140,953	158,507	4,014	40	2A
Ariège	161,265	137,205	150,201	153,287	4,890	31	09
Cantal	193,505	150,778	148,737	144,692	5,726	25	15
Territoire de Belfort	99,403	137,408	141,958	141,318	609	232	90
Hautes-Alpes	87,566	121,419	134,205	141,220	5,549	26	05
Creuse	207,882	124,470	123,907	116,617	5,565	21	23
Lozère	101,849	73,509	76,973	76,604	5,167	15	48

References

1. Populations légales 2008: Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble, INSEE
2. Populations légales des départements en 2019, INSEE, 29 December 2021.
3. "Statistiques locales: Densité de population 2019". INSEE.
4. Includes the Lyon Metropolis.
5. Metropole with territorial collectivity statute. Administratively separated from the Rhône department in 2015.
6. The population for Guadeloupe no longer includes the populations of Saint Barthélémy and Saint Martin (74 km²)
7. Census in 1,997
8. Census in 2007
9. INSEE. "Estimation de population par région, sexe et grande classe d'âge – 2019" (in French). Retrieved 7 July 2022.