Regions of France (NUTS 2) by population

Ile-de-France had the highest population of 27 regions in 2017, at 12.17 million. Mayotte had the lowest, at 250,143. The median was 1.86 million and the figure for France was 66.81 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest12,174,880Ile-de-France
Lowest250,143Mayotte
Median1,856,22127 regions
France66,809,816History

All regions, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

Ile-de-FranceIle-de-France: 12,174,880 persons12,174,880Rhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes: 6,584,131 persons6,584,131Provence-Alpes-Côte d’AzurProvence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: 5,030,890 persons5,030,890Nord-Pas de CalaisNord-Pas de Calais: 4,072,379 persons4,072,379Pays de la LoirePays de la Loire: 3,757,600 persons3,757,600AquitaineAquitaine: 3,414,585 persons3,414,585BretagneBretagne: 3,318,904 persons3,318,904Midi-PyrénéesMidi-Pyrénées: 3,034,719 persons3,034,719Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon: 2,810,383 persons2,810,383Centre - Val de LoireCentre - Val de Loire: 2,576,252 persons2,576,252LorraineLorraine: 2,331,863 persons2,331,863PicardiePicardie: 1,931,436 persons1,931,436AlsaceAlsace: 1,889,589 persons1,889,589Haute-NormandieHaute-Normandie: 1,856,221 persons1,856,221Poitou-CharentesPoitou-Charentes: 1,807,865 persons1,807,865BourgogneBourgogne: 1,632,887 persons1,632,887Basse-NormandieBasse-Normandie: 1,474,257 persons1,474,257AuvergneAuvergne: 1,364,156 persons1,364,156Champagne-ArdenneChampagne-Ardenne: 1,328,134 persons1,328,134Franche-ComtéFranche-Comté: 1,178,536 persons1,178,536La RéunionLa Réunion: 853,659 persons853,659LimousinLimousin: 734,528 persons734,528GuadeloupeGuadeloupe: 425,587 persons425,587MartiniqueMartinique: 372,594 persons372,594CorseCorse: 334,938 persons334,938GuyaneGuyane: 268,700 persons268,700MayotteMayotte: 250,143 persons250,143
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2017
persons
Change on 2016
1Ile-de-France12,174,880+0.5%
2Rhône-Alpes6,584,131+0.5%
3Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur5,030,890+0.2%
4Nord-Pas de Calais4,072,379-0.1%
5Pays de la Loire3,757,600+0.5%
6Aquitaine3,414,585+0.6%
7Bretagne3,318,904+0.4%
8Midi-Pyrénées3,034,719+0.6%
9Languedoc-Roussillon2,810,383+0.6%
10Centre - Val de Loire2,576,252-0.1%
11Lorraine2,331,863-0.3%
12Picardie1,931,436-0.1%
13Alsace1,889,589+0.3%
14Haute-Normandie1,856,221-0.1%
15Poitou-Charentes1,807,865+0.1%
16Bourgogne1,632,887-0.3%
17Basse-Normandie1,474,257-0.2%
18Auvergne1,364,156+0.1%
19Champagne-Ardenne1,328,134-0.4%
20Franche-Comté1,178,536-0.2%
21La Réunion853,659+0.1%
22Limousin734,528-0.2%
23Guadeloupe425,587-1%
24Martinique372,594-1%
25Corse334,938+1.4%
26Guyane268,700-0.2%
27Mayotte250,143+3.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the regions are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_r_pjanaggr3/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Regions of France by population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population","level":"region","within":"France","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=population&level=region&within=France&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which region has the highest population?

Ile-de-France, with 12.17 million in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Mayotte, with 250,143 in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Population: other rankings

Regions of France (NUTS 2): more rankings