France vs Germany: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
France
24.97 million people
in 2020
Germany
22.56 million people
in 2020
France rank
14th
Germany rank
15th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- France
- Germany
How they compare
France currently reports 24.97 million people against 22.56 million people in Germany, a difference of 2.41 million people.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Germany ahead.
France ranks 14th and Germany ranks 15th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and Germany in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 17.65 million people | 21.18 million people | 3.53 million people | Germany |
| 1960s | 18.53 million people | 21.81 million people | 3.27 million people | Germany |
| 1970s | 19.42 million people | 22.26 million people | 2.84 million people | Germany |
| 1980s | 20.37 million people | 22.41 million people | 2.05 million people | Germany |
| 1990s | 21.44 million people | 22.78 million people | 1.34 million people | Germany |
| 2000s | 22.69 million people | 22.74 million people | 47,700 people | Germany |
| 2010s | 24.26 million people | 22.55 million people | 1.71 million people | France |
| 2020s | 24.97 million people | 22.56 million people | 2.41 million people | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, France or Germany?
- France, at 24.97 million people against 22.56 million people in Germany as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between France and Germany?
- 2.41 million people, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do France and Germany rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- France ranks 14th and Germany ranks 15th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.