Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in France
France: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 34.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in France, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
France recorded 34.3% for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020.
The figure is down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in France peaked at 36.3% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 29.5%, in 1950.
France ranks 124th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 29.5% | — |
| 1955 | 30.1% | +2.0% |
| 1960 | 31.9% | +6.0% |
| 1965 | 33.5% | +5.1% |
| 1970 | 35.1% | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 36.3% | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 36.0% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 36.1% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 36.1% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 36.0% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 36.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 35.5% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 35.0% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 34.9% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 34.3% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 29.8% | 29.5% | 30.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 32.7% | 31.9% | 33.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 35.7% | 35.1% | 36.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 36.1% | 36.0% | 36.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 36.1% | 36.0% | 36.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.7% | 35.5% | 36.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 34.9% | 35.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 34.3% | 34.3% | 34.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More population data for France
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.58 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1885 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 65,827 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1504 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1075 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Population density 125.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.16 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in France?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in France was 34.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 36.3% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.5% in 1950.
- How does France rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- France ranks 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.