New census data shows French population growth: how does your area fare?

France’s population at the start of 2023 reached over 68 million people, according to new data from official statistics body Insee. 

Population growth between 2017 and 2022 was +0.39% per year on average, identical to 2012-2017. This correlates to a population increase of around 262,000 each year.

However, birth rates were significantly lower in 2017-2022 (an average of +0.15% compared to +0.34% in the previous five-year period), pointing to immigration as a larger factor behind the growth.

The report covers changes across a five-year period (the latest period being 2017-2022) and is the most detailed of its kind, giving population statistics for every commune in the country, excluding the overseas area of Mayotte. 

Large growth in Corsica and coastal areas

Insee estimates France’s total population (including overseas departments and regions excepting Mayotte) on January 1, 2023 was 68,094,000. 

Mayotte was excluded as Hurricane Chido, which devastated the island in December 2024, prevented surveyors from collecting full census data. 

Of France’s 12 mainland regions and Corsica, population levels and changes were as followed: 

• Île-de-France (total population of 12,463,067), +0.39%

• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (8,205,557), +0.53%

• Nouvelle-Aquitaine (6,150,451), +0.53%

• Occitanie (6,124,653), +0.78%

• Hauts-de-France (5,992,194), -0.03%

• Grand Est (5,563,378) +0.04%

• Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (5,218,960), +0.61%

• Pays de la Loire (3,907,156), +0.65%

• Brittany (3,449,370), +0.64%

• Normandy (3,345,842), +0.08%

• Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (2,802,670), -0.05%

• Centre-Val de Loire (2,587,031), +0.07%

• Corsica (355,486), +1.00%

There were 42 communes with a population of 100,000 or more, and five of these experienced an annual growth rate of over +1%: Villeurbanne, Montpellier, Toulouse, Rouen, and Rennes. 

Growth was driven by positive excess birth rates (births exceeding deaths each year) as well as net migration (more people moving into the communes than moving out). 

Strong growth was recorded along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, largely due to migration, while at the same time populations decreased in much of the east and north of France. 

Brittany and the Parisian suburbs also saw sustained growth. 

The map below shows population growth, in %, across France.

Paris (the entire city is classified as one commune as well as a department) saw the second-highest population decline (in relative terms) among cities of 100,000 people, behind only Mulhouse. 

Paris saw its population fall by -0.65%, Mulhouse by -0.69%. Other large cities to see a population decrease included Argenteuil (-0.61%) Reims (-0.44%), Le Havre (-0.34%) and Limoges (-0.28%).

Media outlet Ouest-France has published an interactive map based on the statistics, showing population changes in every commune between 2017 and 2022. 

Imbalance in excess birth rate and migration

The level of excess birth rate (more babies being born than people dying across a year) more than halved, from +0.34% in 2012-2017 to +0.15% in 2017-2022.

This correlates to a change from 225,000 excess births to around 100,000. 

However, certain areas such as Paris and its suburbs and Lyon saw excess births significantly higher. 

A corridor of communes from south-west to north-east, roughly correlating to France’s ‘empty corridor’, largely saw deaths outstrip births. 

The map below shows the effect of excess birth rates on the population size, in %.

However, many of these communes benefited from migration, whereas many communes in the north saw net emigration to other communes. 

It means that although excess birth rates were in the negative in certain communes, overall population increased due to migration.

The map below shows the effect of migration on the population size, in %.

Full data can be viewed via the Insee report.