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Top 10 largest cities of France by populationIn this blog post, I compiled a shortlist that refers to the 10 largest cities of France by population based on communes. The list starts with the French capital, Paris which is by far the most populous city in the country. The largest cities of France and the communesBefore starting the list, there is one thing I want to explain. It’s about what the French call ‘une commune‘. A commune is the basic unit of local administration in the French Republic. Each one is run by a municipal council (le conseil municipal) whose leader is the mayor (le maire). There are 35,357 communes in France in 2018 of various surface areas. The data was compiled by INSEE, the French National Statistical Office for the 2015 census. Most importantly, these figures do not include the population of the town’s metropolitan area or its suburbs. This explains why Lyon is number 3 behind Marseille. If counted with the metropolitan area, the population of Lyon is by far greater than that of Marseille (see the table at the end of this article). The population of FranceDid you know France has a population of 67,795,000 (2018)? This includes 65 million in metropolitan France (that is mainland France located in Europe). The country is the 20th most populous in the world, representing 0.87% of the total world population. The top 10 largest cities in FranceMap of the Top 10 Largest Cities of France © French MomentsAlrighty, let’s start with number 1 – you’d have guessed – the French Capital! #1. ParisThe city of Paris © French Moments
#2. MarseilleMarseille and Notre-Dame de la Garde in the distance © Olivier Risnes
#3. LyonThe roofs of the Vieux-Lyon © French Moments
#4. ToulouseToulouse Old Town © Ceridwen – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
#5. NiceNice Harbour © Nice OT
#6. NantesNantes from Tour Bretagne © Adam Bishop – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
#7. MontpellierMontpellier: Place de la Comédie © Wolfgang Staudt – licence [CC BY 2.0] from Wikimedia Commons
#8. StrasbourgStrasbourg © French Moments
#9. BordeauxBordeaux © French Moments
#10. LilleGrand’Place in Lille © Laurent Ghesquière
Other large cities in France (#11 to #50)Other large cities in France include:
Top 10 largest urban units in FranceWhen the cities are considered with their suburbs, the list shows major shifts in the ranking. The suburban area is called “agglomération” or more technically “unité urbaine” (urban unit) by the French national statistics office (INSEE). It is made up of a continuously built-up area centred on a larger commune. A short study of the cities in FranceIn France, a city is a population group of at least 2,000 inhabitants, with a variety of economic, social and cultural activities. Most of the French are city-dwellersCities date back to ancient times. They were more or less important depending on the period. Today, 50 million people, i.e. more than three out of four French people, live in towns and cities. And half of the city dwellers live in a city of more than 200,000 inhabitants. This does not mean that the rest of the population has a rural activity. In fact, many of those who work in the city live in housing estates built near villages. A view of Nancy and its suburbs © French MomentsAs a result, France appears to be a relatively less urbanised country compared to its Western European neighbours, not in terms of the percentage of urban dwellers, but in terms of the distribution and size of the cities across the country. Moreover, many of the catchment areas of towns and cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants are in fact only made up of large towns and villages, which are commonly considered as the countryside. Thus, 95% of the French population lives in a city’s catchment area. In the western suburbs of Paris © French MomentsThe catchment area of cities in FranceThe catchment area of a city (functional areas zoning or aire d’attraction d’une ville) is, in France, a study zoning defined by INSEE to apprehend and describe the urban organisation of France. It defines the extent of the influence of a municipality on the surrounding municipalities. Since October 2020, functional areas zoning (ZAAV) has replaced the notion of zoning in urban area (aire urbaine). The old harbour of Marseille. Photo by Sam741002 via Envato ElementsWith more than 13 million inhabitants in 2017, the catchment area of Paris largely dominates the other urban areas. It is followed by the areas of Lyon, Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, Lille, Toulouse and Bordeaux, which have a population of more than one million. The functional areas zoning in 2020 © Roland45 – licence [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia CommonsCities in France where we live bestThe ideal city seems to be a fairly large town, situated in the sun, between the sea, mountains and countryside. This explains the recent demographic development of cities in the south, such as Toulouse, Montpellier and Avignon. The French are proud of their cities. It is not uncommon to compare them to see where it is good to live. The popular comparisons of the cities in FranceComparative studies of French cities are regularly published in magazines and newspapers. The rankings – which are more or less objective – announce to the general public the list of the most pleasant cities in France to live in. To establish this ranking, the studies use a number of indicators to determine the major French cities where family life is most pleasant, for example:
Here are some rankings made by the French press of French cities where it’s good to live with the family: Le Figaro MagazineBordeaux from above © French Moments
The magazine L’ExpressRennes: Place du Parlement de Bretagne © Edouard Hue – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
For the Nexity real estate groupThe Venice of the Alps © French Moments
Cities in France: Download our FREE worksheets!Download more activity worksheets about the geography of France: Did you like what you read? If so, share it on Facebook or Twitter! Inspired? Pin it for later
Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of the Discovery Course on the Secrets of the Eiffel Tower and the Christmas book "Voyage au Pays de Noël". You might want to read these related posts... Transparency: Some blog posts and pages may contain affiliate or sponsored links. If you are planning a trip, the use of these links helps us to run the site. There is no additional cost to you. All you have to do is click on the link and any booking you make is automatically tracked. Thank you for your support! What are the 2 largest cities in France?Paris. Population: 2.19 million (metropolitan population: 12 million) ... . Marseille. Population: 863,000 (metropolitan population: 1.75 million) ... . Lyon. Population: 516,000 (metropolitan population: 2.31 million) ... . Toulouse. Population: 480,000 (metropolitan population: 1.35 million) ... . Nice. ... . Nantes. ... . Montpellier. ... . Strasbourg.. Is Lyon the 2nd biggest city in France?Lyon, also spelled Lyons, capital of both the Rhône département and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, east-central France, set on a hilly site at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. It is the third largest city in France, after Paris and Marseille.
Is Marseille France's second largest city?Marseille also spelled in English as Marseilles is the second-largest city of France. The main city of the historical province of Provence, it is the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is located on the Mediterranean coast near the mouth of the Rhône.
What are the three biggest French cities?The 50 largest French cities By Guy Kervella, European Editor. |