Regions of France (NUTS 2) by population

Ile-de-France had the highest population of 27 regions in 2018, at 12.21 million. Mayotte had the lowest, at 259,621. The median was 1.86 million and the figure for France was 67.03 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest12,213,447Ile-de-France
Lowest259,621Mayotte
Median1,855,84527 regions
France67,026,224History

All regions, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Ile-de-FranceIle-de-France: 12,213,447 persons12,213,447Rhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes: 6,625,923 persons6,625,923Provence-Alpes-Côte d’AzurProvence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: 5,052,832 persons5,052,832Nord-Pas de CalaisNord-Pas de Calais: 4,072,977 persons4,072,977Pays de la LoirePays de la Loire: 3,781,423 persons3,781,423AquitaineAquitaine: 3,437,398 persons3,437,398BretagneBretagne: 3,335,414 persons3,335,414Midi-PyrénéesMidi-Pyrénées: 3,055,135 persons3,055,135Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon: 2,830,361 persons2,830,361Centre - Val de LoireCentre - Val de Loire: 2,572,853 persons2,572,853LorraineLorraine: 2,328,460 persons2,328,460PicardiePicardie: 1,931,131 persons1,931,131AlsaceAlsace: 1,898,533 persons1,898,533Haute-NormandieHaute-Normandie: 1,855,845 persons1,855,845Poitou-CharentesPoitou-Charentes: 1,811,095 persons1,811,095BourgogneBourgogne: 1,628,737 persons1,628,737Basse-NormandieBasse-Normandie: 1,471,632 persons1,471,632AuvergneAuvergne: 1,368,536 persons1,368,536Champagne-ArdenneChampagne-Ardenne: 1,323,396 persons1,323,396Franche-ComtéFranche-Comté: 1,179,070 persons1,179,070La RéunionLa Réunion: 855,961 persons855,961LimousinLimousin: 731,285 persons731,285GuadeloupeGuadeloupe: 421,694 persons421,694MartiniqueMartinique: 368,783 persons368,783CorseCorse: 338,554 persons338,554GuyaneGuyane: 276,128 persons276,128MayotteMayotte: 259,621 persons259,621
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2018
persons
Change on 2017
1Ile-de-France12,213,447+0.3%
2Rhône-Alpes6,625,923+0.6%
3Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur5,052,832+0.4%
4Nord-Pas de Calais4,072,9770%
5Pays de la Loire3,781,423+0.6%
6Aquitaine3,437,398+0.7%
7Bretagne3,335,414+0.5%
8Midi-Pyrénées3,055,135+0.7%
9Languedoc-Roussillon2,830,361+0.7%
10Centre - Val de Loire2,572,853-0.1%
11Lorraine2,328,460-0.1%
12Picardie1,931,131-0%
13Alsace1,898,533+0.5%
14Haute-Normandie1,855,845-0%
15Poitou-Charentes1,811,095+0.2%
16Bourgogne1,628,737-0.3%
17Basse-Normandie1,471,632-0.2%
18Auvergne1,368,536+0.3%
19Champagne-Ardenne1,323,396-0.4%
20Franche-Comté1,179,0700%
21La Réunion855,961+0.3%
22Limousin731,285-0.4%
23Guadeloupe421,694-0.9%
24Martinique368,783-1%
25Corse338,554+1.1%
26Guyane276,128+2.8%
27Mayotte259,621+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.

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Questions

Which region has the highest population?

Ile-de-France, with 12.21 million in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Mayotte, with 259,621 in 2018.

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