Insee Focus · December 2023 · n° 316

Between 2015 and 2021, population growth were twice as high in urban areas as in rural areas

On January, 1st, 2021, 67,408,000 people were living in France excluding Mayotte, representing an average growth of 0.3% per year since 2015 against 0.5% per year between 2010 and 2015. This slowdown was due to a smaller contribution from the natural balance in all regions except French Guiana. Between 2015 and 2021, the population decreased in Martinique and Guadeloupe; it remained stable in Hauts‑de‑France, Grand Est, Normandie, Centre‑Val de Loire and Bourgogne‑Franche‑Comté; it was still growing in the other regions. In Île‑de‑France, population growth was equal to all the national one despite a very negative migratory balance. Its natural balance was the highest after those of French Guiana and Reunion. The regions with the highest population increases between 2015 and 2021 were the same as between 2010 and 2015. The population decreased in 23 departments. Population growth was twice as high in urban areas (+0.4%) as in rural areas (+0.2%).