Where are the healthiest places to live in France?
New survey compares nearly 1,000 municipalities, west and south rank highest
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A new survey comparing almost 1,000 French municipalities has found that many of the best places to live for a healthy life are located in western and southern France where access to healthcare, lower pollution and greener surroundings exist in one place.
The ranking, published by Le Figaro Santé, analysed 988 mainland French communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants using 43 indicators across five categories: exposure to pollution, quality of life, access to healthcare, prevalence of chronic diseases and life expectancy.
Among municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) was ranked as the best place to live. The survey indicated that cities that tend to perform well are usually located on the outskirts of major metropolitan areas, where residents benefit from good access to healthcare while being exposed to less pollution and traffic.
Bayonne is a city in southwest France, known for its Basque culture, rivers and nearby beaches.
Other cities that performed well included Vannes (Morbihan), Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), Angers (Maine-et-Loire), and Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne).
The ranking for medium-sized municipalities (10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants) also favoured the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. Five of the department's nine eligible communes appeared in the top 20: Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Orthez, Biarritz, and Anglet.
Saint-Jean-de-Luz, which topped the list, is also a coastal town and, like Bayonne, located in Basque Country. It is known for its beaches, fishing port and traditional character.
The survey noted that quality of life in coastal towns benefitted from relatively low pollution levels and good access to healthcare, while inland towns were helped by a less urban environment and quick access to hospitals.
Rural or urban?
The survey also showcased that the difference between city and countryside living is more complex than it may appear.
While there is a popular belief that large cities are generally more unhealthy than rural living due to traffic pollution and noise, the survey highlighted that rural areas can also face pollution problems linked to agriculture, including pesticides, ammonia emissions and fine particles.
Access to healthcare was another important criteria in the rankings. The report shows that larger towns and cities generally have a greater concentration of specialist doctors, while travel times to the nearest hospital or emergency department are a lot shorter. In some isolated rural areas by contrast, journeys can take one to two hours.
At the same time, the researchers note that good public transport in larger cities encourages more walking, which is associated with lower average body mass index than in areas further from city centres.
The findings come as France continues to rank high among European countries for life expectancy. Previous figures from Insee, France’s national statistics institute, showed that France outperforms the EU average, with women who reach 65 living on average to 88.4 years and men to 84.7 years.
France is also home to a growing number of centenarians. More than 31,000 people in France are now aged 100 or over, with official projections suggesting that number could rise to around 76,000 by 2040.
Meanwhile, other recent rankings have highlighted different aspects of living in France. The 2026 Village Préféré des Français competition, for example, named Bormes-les-Mimosas in the Var as the country’s favourite village, based on public votes.
