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According to the latest United Nations data, France’s current population is over 68 million. France’s population is equal to 0.84 percent of the total world population. Nowadays, France rates number 22 on the list of nations by population.
According to the French Institute for Demographic Studies, about 65.3 million people lived in Metropolitan France, while 2.8 million lived in overseas France. Between 2010 and 2017, the population of France by 2.4 million people grew from 64.6 to 67 million, making France one of the fastest-growing nations in Europe. The population of France is increasing by one million people every 3 years- an average annual growth of 340 thousand people (+0.6%).
France was historically Europe’s most populous country. During the Middle Ages, over 1/4 of Europe’s total population was French; by the 17th century, this had dropped slightly to 1/5. By the beginning of the 20th century, other European nations, such as Russia and Germany, surpassed France in several people. However, the nation’s population increased fast with the baby boom after WWII. Since 2004, about 200 thousand immigrants have entered France yearly. One out of two was born in Europe, and 1/3 in Africa. Between 2009 and 2012, the average number of Europeans entering France grew by 12% per year.
The country’s total land area is 547,557 sq. km (211,413 sq. miles), and population density is 119 per square kilometer (309 people per square mile).
The map below shows the population density of France and the surrounding region in a 1 km2 grid.
Megaсities on the map: Paris; London; the Milan metro area; the west German megacity (Dusseldorf, Essen, Dortmund). Reddit user AJgloe
Below is the map created by Reddit user CalyLofty using the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies shows how French population density has changed throughout history.
France’s population is highly unevenly distributed. About 81.5 percent of the population of the country is urban. With 2.2 million people, Paris is the most populous city in France. Nord – the nation’s most populous department, has a slightly larger population than Paris. Below is the map of French departments with a higher population than Paris.
France’s population is prognosticated to reach the 70 million mark between 2025 and 2030 and overpass Germany’s between 2050 and 2060, with 75.6 million French. By 2080, France’s population is predicted to reach 78.8 million.
