France Population 2024 (Live)

66,575,460

According to current projections, France’s population is expected to reach its peak at 67.68 million people in 2045, after which it will decline slowly back down to 65.55 million people by the end of the century.

In the past ten years, France’s population growth rate has decreased significantly to 0.22%. This growth will become even smaller in the coming years until 2045 when population growth becomes negative.

France was once the most fertile country in the European Union; however, its rates are beginning to change. France’s birth rate is 11.2 births per 1,000 people and its death rate is 9.1 deaths per 1,000 people. The fertility rate is 1.850 births per woman, which has been declining in recent years.

France Population Growth

The figures reported in 2011 confirmed that France as a whole was growing at a faster rate than most other countries across the globe. In fact, its natural growth, which excludes any immigration figures, accounted for nearly the whole of the natural growth recorded in the European Union in 2003.

The birth rate exceeded the death rate by a considerable amount -- 302,432 in 2006 which was the highest recorded figure since 1973. Further contrasts in the rates led to the final figures declared in the 2011 census. The country also has the second highest number of children per family in Europe; 2.01 when the last figures were announced.

France Population Projections

Metropolitan France is expected to see its population grow by another 9 million people over the next 40 years, placing the country's population around 72 million by 2050. To reach this projection, fertility rates will need to stay about the same, mortality will need to decrease, and net migration will need to remain about 100,000 annually.

With its population growing despite decreases in many of its neighboring countries, France is finally back in the race to be the most populous country in Europe. By 2050, it's expected that Germany will have just 70-74 million (compared to 2012's 82 million), while Britain's population will be about 73 million, compared to today's 63 million.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
547,557
The current population of France is 66,575,460 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 66,548,500.

France Growth Rate

France Population Clock

France Population (as of 10/2/2024)66,575,460
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)66,548,500
Births per Day1,741
Deaths per Day1,702
Migrations per Day248
Net Change per Day287
Population Change Since Jan. 179,212

Components of Population Change

One birth every 50 seconds
One death every 51 seconds
One immigrant every 5.8 minutes
Net gain of one person every 5.02 minutes

France Population Clock

France Population Density Map

City
2024 Pop.
Paris2,138,551
Marseille794,811
Lyon472,317
Toulouse433,055
Nice338,620
Nantes277,269
Strasbourg274,845
Montpellier248,252
Bordeaux231,844
Lille228,328

France Area and Population Density

France has an estimated 2016 metro population of 64,750,000, which does not include overseas territories. Combined, the territories add an additional 2 million people. Metropolitan France has a population density of 117.37 people per square kilometer, which ranks 95th in the world.

Largest Cities in France

Paris is the largest city and capital of France. The City of Paris has just 40 square miles of land with a population of 2.24 million in the city limits, and the most populous urban area in all of the European Union. The city proper has a density of over 21,000 people per square kilometer. The much larger Paris Region, with 4,638 square miles of land, has its own president and regional council with a population of 12 million. This accounts for 18% of France's total population.

For a country of such size, it is surprising that there is only one city proper with a population exceeding 1 million. The largest cities in France include:

  • Paris (2.2 million) The wider Paris urban area had a population of over 12.1 million in 2013.
  • Marseille (853,000) While it's the second largest city in France, it has the third largest urban and metropolitan area with a population of 1.6 million.
  • Lyon (484,000) Including suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon is the most populous area of France with a population of 1.7 million.
  • Toulouse (449,000) This is the fourth largest metropolitan area of France with a population of 1.2 million.
Year
Population
Change
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202466,548,5000.25%1222398
202366,438,8000.28%1212398
202065,905,3000.27%1202294
201965,729,5000.32%1202294
201865,519,5000.36%1202293
201765,284,8000.3%1192293
201564,916,3000.47%1192292
201063,417,4000.57%1162193
200561,625,0000.71%1132091
200059,483,7000.44%1092095
199558,192,2000.42%1061989
199056,990,2000.54%1041987
198555,467,2000.56%1011682
198053,941,1000.45%991581
197552,746,3000.75%961577
197050,813,1000.82%931573
196548,772,8000.99%891471
196046,428,1001.02%851270
195544,136,1001.05%811266

France Population by Year (Historical)

Year
Population
Change
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202466,548,5000.25%1222398
202566,650,8000.22%1222399
203067,107,7000.14%1232499
203567,547,9000.13%12325101
204067,938,9000.12%12427104
204568,191,0000.07%12527107
205068,219,7000.01%12530109
205568,067,600-0.04%12431113
206067,850,300-0.06%12431112
206567,691,800-0.05%12432114
207067,678,9000%12435113
207567,822,3000.04%12435114
208068,024,9000.06%12436114
208568,237,7000.06%12537114
209068,421,9000.05%12537114
209568,529,6000.03%12538111

France Population by Year (Projections)

France Population Pyramid 2024

France Median Age

41.7

Total

40

Male

43.4

Female

France Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in France.

Census Years

Year
Date
20151 January 2015
20061 January 2006
19998 March 1999
19905 March 1990

France Population Pyramid

France also has many territories, including Clipperton Island, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and others.

France Demographics

A law from 1872 prohibits the French Republic from conducting a census by making any official distinction between its citizens in terms of race or religious beliefs, so French demographics can be a bit hard to determine. In 2004, it was estimated that 85% of the population of Metropolitan France was white or of European origin, with 10% from North Africa, 3.5% Black and 1.5% Asian.

This law does not apply to surveys or polls, and a marketing company called Solis estimated numbers of ethnic minorities in 2009 as 5.23% Maghrebis, 2.94% black (a majority from Sub-Saharan Africa) and 0.71% Turkish.

In 2010, 27% of newborns in Metro France had at least a single foreign-born parent. Most French people today are of Celtic origin. The country has experienced large-scale immigration over the last 100 years. It's believed that 40% of France's population is descended, at least in part, from the waves of immigration since the start of the 20th century.

In addition, surveys or polls have been used to determine an estimated 63-66% affiliation in Christian based faiths, a 7-9% affiliation with Muslim faiths, a .5-.75% affiliation with Buddhist faiths, .5-.75% affiliation with Jewish faiths, .5-1% affiliation with other faiths, and 23-28% no affiliation or preference to any faith based on 2015 compiled estimates from the World Factbook.

France Religion, Economy and Politics

France is one of the least religious countries in the world. According to a 2016 survey from Institut Montaigne, 39.6% claimed no religion. Slightly more than half (51.1%) identify as Christian, 5.6% identify as Muslim, and under 1% (0.8%) are Jewish.

When we compare these numbers to 1986, a few trends become apparent. The percentage of French people identifying as non-religious has exploded in the past 30 years, from 15.5% to nearly 40% today. The other trend is the increasing Muslim population in France. According to a Pew Research Study of Islam in Europe, an estimated 8.8% of the French population is Muslim. This is higher than the estimate from Institut Montaigne, and would be the highest percentage in Europe. The Muslim population is expected to continue its growth in France due to migration, conversion, and high rates of natural increase. Immigration has become an important political issue in France, and this will likely continue moving forward.

Like many of its neighbors, France represents a huge attraction for immigration and when statistics were released in 2008, it was reported that 11.8 million foreign-born immigrants and their immediate descendants were residents in the country; a figure which accounted for around 19% of the total population of the time.

Exact figures in relation to this are slightly hampered by the fact that it is illegal for the French state as an entity to compile statistics when it comes to race and ethnicity. Data in relation to this is therefore supplied by independent agencies such as INED and INSEE.

What is clear however is that France’s population is growing quite significantly. The large discrepancy in the birth and death rate shows no signs of narrowing and as such, it will be fascinating to see the results from the next national census.

France Population History

During the Middle Ages, France was home to a quarter of the entire European population. This changed in the later centuries, more because of the growth of surrounding nations than a population decline in France. By the 1700s, France was home to 20% of European people, and by the 20th century, they were overtaken by other countries like Germany and Russia. The French population increased significantly during the baby boom following World War II and has experienced fairly steady growth in the years since.

France Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
551,695
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
Paris
GDP (IMF '24)
$3,130.01
GDP (UN '22)
$2.78 Tn

Sources