Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in France
France: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 16.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in France, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in France is 16.0%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in France peaked at 16.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 1950.
That places France 91st out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.0% | 12.8% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 13.7% | 13.7% | 13.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 14.0% | 13.9% | 14.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 14.1% | 14.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.9% | 15.8% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.0% | 16.0% | 16.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 16.0% | 16.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More reference data data for France
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.5862 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 3.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.1356 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.3048 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.2 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 127.7 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in France?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in France was 16.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 1950.
- How does France rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- France ranks 91st out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.