Largest cities in France by population
The 39 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for France: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Paris with 2,133,111 people.
Who runs cities in France?
Intercommunal groupings (EPCI: metropolises, urban/agglomeration communities, communities of communes): Councillors chosen at the same time as municipal councillors (or from them in small communes). Waste, water, public transport, economic development, often planning. Membership is compulsory for almost every commune.
How local power works in France · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris (capital) | 2,133,111 | 1 January 2021 |
| 2 | Marseille | 873,076 | 1 January 2021 |
| 3 | Lyon | 522,250 | 1 January 2021 |
| 4 | Toulouse | 504,078 | 1 January 2021 |
| 5 | Nice | 348,085 | 1 January 2021 |
| 6 | Nantes | 323,204 | 1 January 2021 |
| 7 | Montpellier | 302,454 | 1 January 2021 |
| 8 | Strasbourg | 291,313 | 1 January 2021 |
| 9 | Bordeaux | 261,804 | 1 January 2021 |
| 10 | Lille | 236,710 | 1 January 2021 |
| 11 | Rennes | 225,081 | 1 January 2021 |
| 12 | Toulon | 180,452 | 1 January 2021 |
| 13 | Reims | 179,380 | 1 January 2021 |
| 14 | Saint-Étienne | 172,718 | 1 January 2021 |
| 15 | Le Havre | 166,058 | 1 January 2021 |
| 16 | Dijon | 159,346 | 1 January 2021 |
| 17 | Grenoble | 157,477 | 1 January 2021 |
| 18 | Angers | 157,175 | 1 January 2021 |
| 19 | Villeurbanne | 156,928 | 1 January 2021 |
| 20 | Nîmes | 148,104 | 1 January 2021 |
| 21 | Aix-en-Provence | 147,478 | 1 January 2021 |
| 22 | Clermont-Ferrand | 147,327 | 1 January 2021 |
| 23 | Le Mans | 145,004 | 1 January 2021 |
| 24 | Brest | 139,619 | 1 January 2021 |
| 25 | Tours | 137,658 | 1 January 2021 |
| 26 | Amiens | 133,625 | 1 January 2021 |
| 27 | Limoges | 129,760 | 1 January 2021 |
| 28 | Metz | 120,874 | 1 January 2021 |
| 29 | Boulogne-Billancourt | 119,808 | 1 January 2021 |
| 30 | Perpignan | 119,656 | 1 January 2021 |
| 31 | Besançon | 119,198 | 1 January 2021 |
| 32 | Orléans | 116,617 | 1 January 2021 |
| 33 | Rouen | 114,083 | 1 January 2021 |
| 34 | Saint-Denis | 113,942 | 1 January 2021 |
| 35 | Montreuil | 111,455 | 1 January 2021 |
| 36 | Caen | 108,200 | 1 January 2021 |
| 37 | Argenteuil | 107,221 | 1 January 2021 |
| 38 | Mulhouse | 106,341 | 1 January 2021 |
| 39 | Nancy | 104,260 | 1 January 2021 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on France: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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