. Population figures are official
The total population of the 26 French regions (excluding the 7 overseas collectivities) was 63.9 million on January 1, 2008, of which 62.1 million (97.1%) lived in
| Rank | Region France is administratively divided into 25 regions , of which 21 are on mainland France, and four are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
| PopulationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
(Jan. 2008) | % | DensityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
(Jan. 2008)
|
|---|
| 1 | Île-de-France Île-de-France is one of the twenty-six administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area. Its name literally means "Island of France", maybe from ancient Frankish Liddle Franke, "little France"....
| 11,694,000 | 18.3% | 974
|
| 2 | Rhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes is one of the 26 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
| 6,121,000 | 9.6% | 140
|
| 3 | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is one of the 26 regions of France...
| 4,891,000 | 7.6% | 156
|
| 4 | Nord-Pas de Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais is one of the 26 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Until the end of the 20th century both the region and the department were called Nord...
| 4,022,000 | 6.3% | 324
|
| 5 | Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire is one of the 26 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
| 3,508,000 | 5.5% | 109
|
| 6 | Aquitaine Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger...
| 3,170,000 | 5.0% | 77
|
| 7 | BretagneBrittany is one of the 26 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its capital is Rennes.-Territory:...
| 3,139,000 | 4.9% | 115
|
| 8 | Midi-PyrénéesMidi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
| 2,833,000 | 4.4% | 62
|
| 9 | Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon is one of the 26 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.Llívia is a town of...
| 2,594,000 | 4.1% | 95
|
| 10 | Centre Centre is one of the 26 regions of France, located towards the northwest of the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley. Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city is Tours.-Features:...
| 2,538,000 | 4.0% | 65
|
| 11 | LorraineLorraine is one of the 26 régions of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
| 2,337,000 | 3.7% | 99
|
| 12 | Picardie This article is about the modern French region. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:...
| 1,900,000 | 3.0% | 98
|
| 13 | AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
| 1,836,000 | 2.9% | 222
|
| 14 | Haute-Normandie Upper Normandy is one of the 26 regions of France. It was created in 1956 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for regrouping of the two...
| 1,815,000 | 2.8% | 147
|
| 15 | Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
| 1,743,000 | 2.7% | 68
|
| 16 | BourgogneBurgundy is one of the 26 regions of France.The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy. It is made up of the following old provinces:...
| 1,631,000 | 2.6% | 52
|
| 17 | Basse-NormandieLower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
| 1,463,000 | 2.3% | 83
|
| 18 | AuvergneAuvergne is one of the 26 administrative regions of France.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not part of Auvergne...
| 1,341,000 | 2.1% | 52
|
| 19 | Champagne-ArdenneChampagne-Ardenne is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine ....
| 1,334,000 | 2.1% | 52
|
| 20 | Franche-ComtéFranche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
| 1,159,000 | 1.8% | 72
|
| 21 | Réunion Réunion is an island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France...
| 802,000 | 1.3% | 320
|
| 22 | Limousin Limousin is one of the 26 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.- Formation :The modern region of Limousin is essentially composed of two historical French provinces:...
| 735,000 | 1.1% | 43
|
| 23 | GuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at , with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres . It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France and an integral part of the Republic...
| 405,500 | 0.6% | 249
|
| 24 | MartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of...
| 402,000 | 0.6% | 356
|
| 25 | CorseCorsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
| 302,000 | 0.5% | 35
|
| 26 | Guyane | 221,500 | 0.3% | 3
|
| Total | 63,937,000 | 100% | 101 |
| Rank |
Region France is administratively divided into 25 regions , of which 21 are on mainland France, and four are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
|
AreaArea is a quantity expressing the two-dimensional size of a defined part of a surface, typically a region bounded by a closed curve. The term surface area refers to the total area of the exposed surface of a 3-dimensional solid, such as the sum of the areas of the exposed sides of a polyhedron...
(km²) |
%
(total) |
%
(European
France) |
DensityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
|
|---|
| 1 |
Guyane |
83,534 |
13.2% |
|
3 |
| 2 |
Midi-PyrénéesMidi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
|
45,348 |
7.2% |
8.3% |
62 |
| 3 |
Rhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes is one of the 26 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
|
43,698 |
6.9% |
8.0% |
140 |
| 4 |
Aquitaine Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger...
|
41,308 |
6.5% |
7.6% |
77 |
| 5 |
Centre Centre is one of the 26 regions of France, located towards the northwest of the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley. Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city is Tours.-Features:...
|
39,151 |
6.2% |
7.2% |
65 |
| 6 |
Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire is one of the 26 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
|
32,082 |
5.1% |
5.9% |
109 |
| 7 |
BourgogneBurgundy is one of the 26 regions of France.The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy. It is made up of the following old provinces:...
|
31,582 |
5.0% |
5.8% |
52 |
| 8 |
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is one of the 26 regions of France...
|
31,400 |
5.0% |
5.8% |
156 |
| 9 |
Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon is one of the 26 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.Llívia is a town of...
|
27,376 |
4.3% |
5.0% |
95 |
| 10 |
BretagneBrittany is one of the 26 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its capital is Rennes.-Territory:...
|
27,208 |
4.3% |
5.0% |
115 |
| 11 |
AuvergneAuvergne is one of the 26 administrative regions of France.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not part of Auvergne...
|
26,013 |
4.1% |
4.8% |
52 |
| 12 |
Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
|
25,810 |
4.1% |
4.7% |
68 |
| 13 |
Champagne-ArdenneChampagne-Ardenne is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine ....
|
25,606 |
4.0% |
4.7% |
52 |
| 14 |
LorraineLorraine is one of the 26 régions of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
|
23,547 |
3.7% |
4.3% |
99 |
| 15 |
Picardie This article is about the modern French region. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:...
|
19,399 |
3.1% |
3.6% |
98 |
| 16 |
Basse-NormandieLower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
|
17,589 |
2.8% |
3.2% |
83 |
| 17 |
Limousin Limousin is one of the 26 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.- Formation :The modern region of Limousin is essentially composed of two historical French provinces:...
|
16,942 |
2.7% |
3.1% |
43 |
| 18 |
Franche-ComtéFranche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
|
16,202 |
2.6% |
3.0% |
72 |
| 19 |
Nord-Pas de Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais is one of the 26 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Until the end of the 20th century both the region and the department were called Nord...
|
12,414 |
2.0% |
2.3% |
324 |
| 20 |
Haute-Normandie Upper Normandy is one of the 26 regions of France. It was created in 1956 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for regrouping of the two...
|
12,317 |
1.9% |
2.3% |
147 |
| 21 |
Île-de-France Île-de-France is one of the twenty-six administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area. Its name literally means "Island of France", maybe from ancient Frankish Liddle Franke, "little France"....
|
12,012 |
1.9% |
2.2% |
974 |
| 22 |
CorseCorsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
|
8,680 |
1.4% |
1.6% |
35 |
| 23 |
AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
|
8,280 |
1.3% |
1.5% |
222 |
| 24 |
Réunion Réunion is an island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France...
|
2,504 |
0.4% |
|
320 |
| 25 |
GuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at , with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres . It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France and an integral part of the Republic...
|
1,628 |
0.3% |
|
249 |
| 26 |
MartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of...
|
1,128 |
0.2% |
|
356 |
| |
Total |
632,760 |
100% |
|
101 |
The population of France has a density of 94.9 people per km², including the overseas regions, and 107.8 people per km², excluding them.
| Rank | Region France is administratively divided into 25 regions , of which 21 are on mainland France, and four are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
| PopulationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
| AreaArea is a quantity expressing the two-dimensional size of a defined part of a surface, typically a region bounded by a closed curve. The term surface area refers to the total area of the exposed surface of a 3-dimensional solid, such as the sum of the areas of the exposed sides of a polyhedron...
(km²) | DensityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
|
|---|
| 1 | Île-de-France Île-de-France is one of the twenty-six administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area. Its name literally means "Island of France", maybe from ancient Frankish Liddle Franke, "little France"....
| 11,694,000 | 12,012 | 974
|
| 2 | MartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of...
| 402,000 | 1,128 | 356
|
| 3 | Nord-Pas de Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais is one of the 26 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Until the end of the 20th century both the region and the department were called Nord...
| 4,022,000 | 12,414 | 324
|
| 4 | Réunion Réunion is an island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France...
| 802,000 | 2,504 | 320
|
| 5 | GuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at , with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres . It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France and an integral part of the Republic...
| 405,500 | 1,628 | 249
|
| 6 | AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
| 1,836,000 | 8,280 | 222
|
| 7 | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is one of the 26 regions of France...
| 4,891,000 | 31,400 | 156
|
| 8 | Haute-Normandie Upper Normandy is one of the 26 regions of France. It was created in 1956 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for regrouping of the two...
| 1,815,000 | 12,317 | 147
|
| 9 | Rhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes is one of the 26 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
| 6,121,000 | 43,698 | 140
|
| 10 | BretagneBrittany is one of the 26 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its capital is Rennes.-Territory:...
| 3,139,000 | 27,208 | 115
|
| 11 | Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire is one of the 26 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
| 3,508,000 | 32,082 | 109
|
| 12 | LorraineLorraine is one of the 26 régions of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
| 2,337,000 | 23,547 | 99
|
| 13 | Picardie This article is about the modern French region. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:...
| 1,900,000 | 19,399 | 98
|
| 14 | Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon is one of the 26 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.Llívia is a town of...
| 2,594,000 | 27,376 | 95
|
| 15 | Basse-NormandieLower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
| 1,463,000 | 17,589 | 83
|
| 16 | Aquitaine Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger...
| 3,170,000 | 41,308 | 77
|
| 17 | Franche-ComtéFranche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
| 1,159,000 | 16,202 | 72
|
| 18 | Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
| 1,743,000 | 25,810 | 68
|
| 19 | Centre Centre is one of the 26 regions of France, located towards the northwest of the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley. Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city is Tours.-Features:...
| 2,538,000 | 39,151 | 65
|
| 20 | Midi-PyrénéesMidi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
| 2,833,000 | 45,348 | 62
|
| 21 | BourgogneBurgundy is one of the 26 regions of France.The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy. It is made up of the following old provinces:...
| 1,631,000 | 31,582 | 52
|
| 22 | AuvergneAuvergne is one of the 26 administrative regions of France.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not part of Auvergne...
| 1,341,000 | 26,013 | 52
|
| 23 | Champagne-ArdenneChampagne-Ardenne is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine ....
| 1,334,000 | 25,606 | 52
|
| 24 | Limousin Limousin is one of the 26 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.- Formation :The modern region of Limousin is essentially composed of two historical French provinces:...
| 735,000 | 16,942 | 43
|
| 25 | CorseCorsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
| 302,000 | 8,680 | 35
|
| 26 | Guyane | 221,500 | 83,534 | 3
|
| Total | 63,937,000 | 632,760 | 101 |