

This table lists the 101French departments in descending order of population, area and population density.
The figures include:
The total population takes into account double counting.
Between 1999 and 2006 all French departments had grown in population with the exception of the following seven departments: Allier and Cantal inAuvergne, Creuse inLimousin, Ardennes and Haute-Marne inChampagne-Ardenne, Nièvre inBurgundy, and Vosges inLorraine. Seepopulation decline for more information.
In contrast the seven departments that have gained the most population in absolute value are Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Bouches-du-Rhône, Seine-Saint-Denis, Loire-Atlantique, Hauts-de Seine, and Hérault.
Guadeloupe has seemingly lost population between 1999 and 2008. However, this diminution of the legal population is due to the creation of the overseas communities ofSaint Barthélemy andSaint Martin. In the 1999 census, the population of Guadeloupe without thearrondissement of Saint-Martin-Saint-Barthélemy was 386,566 inhabitants. The department's population has actually increased by more than 15,000 people over the period based on a constant territory.
| Department | Legal population[2] | Area km2 | Density /km2 [3] | INSEE Dept. No. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1999 | 2008 | 2019 | ||||
| Nord | 2,029,449 | 2,555,020 | 2,564,959 | 2,608,346 | 5,743 | 454 | 59 |
| Paris | 2,891,020 | 2,125,246 | 2,211,297 | 2,165,423 | 105 | 20,545 | 75 |
| Bouches-du-Rhône | 1,101,672 | 1,835,719 | 1,966,005 | 2,043,110 | 5,087 | 402 | 13 |
| Rhône | 1,046,028 | 1,578,869 | 1,690,498 | 1,875,747[4] | 3,249 | 583 | 69 |
| Seine-Saint-Denis | 769,315 | 1,382,861 | 1,506,466 | 1,644,903 | 236 | 6,964 | 93 |
| Hauts-de-Seine | 949,231 | 1,428,881 | 1,549,619 | 1,624,357 | 176 | 9,250 | 92 |
| Gironde | 852,768 | 1,287,334 | 1,421,276 | 1,623,749 | 10,725 | 163 | 33 |
| Pas-de-Calais | 1,205,191 | 1,441,568 | 1,459,531 | 1,465,278 | 6,671 | 220 | 62 |
| Yvelines | 408,282 | 1,354,308 | 1,406,053 | 1,448,207 | 2,284 | 634 | 78 |
| Loire-Atlantique | 652,079 | 1,134,266 | 1,255,871 | 1,429,272 | 6,815 | 208 | 44 |
| Seine-et-Marne | 406,108 | 1,193,767 | 1,303,702 | 1,421,197 | 5,915 | 240 | 77 |
| Lyon Metropolis[5] | – | – | – | 1,411,571 | 534 | 2,645 | 69M |
| Val-de-Marne | 657,322 | 1,227,250 | 1,310,876 | 1,407,124 | 245 | 5,743 | 94 |
| Haute-Garonne | 441,799 | 1,046,338 | 1,217,344 | 1,400,039 | 6,309 | 222 | 31 |
| Essonne | 271,094 | 1,134,238 | 1,205,850 | 1,301,659 | 1,804 | 721 | 91 |
| Isère | 584,017 | 1,094,006 | 1,188,660 | 1,271,166 | 7,431 | 171 | 38 |
| Seine-Maritime | 905,278 | 1,239,138 | 1,248,580 | 1,255,633 | 6,278 | 200 | 76 |
| Val-d'Oise | 353,374 | 1,105,464 | 1,165,397 | 1,249,674 | 1,246 | 1,003 | 95 |
| Hérault | 514,819 | 896,441 | 1,019,798 | 1,175,623 | 6,101 | 193 | 34 |
| Bas-Rhin | 688,242 | 1,026,120 | 1,091,015 | 1,140,057 | 4,755 | 240 | 67 |
| Alpes-Maritimes | 493,376 | 1,011,326 | 1,084,428 | 1,094,283 | 4,299 | 255 | 06 |
| Ille-et-Vilaine | 562,558 | 867,533 | 967,588 | 1,079,498 | 6,775 | 159 | 35 |
| Var | 377,104 | 898,441 | 1,001,408 | 1,076,711 | 5,973 | 180 | 83 |
| Moselle | 693,408 | 1,023,447 | 1,042,230 | 1,046,543 | 6,216 | 168 | 57 |
| Finistère | 744,295 | 852,418 | 890,509 | 915,090 | 6,733 | 136 | 29 |
| Réunion | – | 706,300 | 808,250 | 861,210 | 2,504 | 344 | 974 |
| Oise | 407,432 | 766,441 | 799,725 | 829,419 | 5,860 | 142 | 60 |
| Haute-Savoie | 252,794 | 631,679 | 716,277 | 826,094 | 4,388 | 188 | 74 |
| Maine-et-Loire | 475,991 | 732,942 | 774,823 | 818,273 | 7,166 | 115 | 49 |
| Haut-Rhin | 516,726 | 708,025 | 746,072 | 767,086 | 3,525 | 218 | 68 |
| Loire | 664,822 | 728,524 | 742,076 | 765,634 | 4,781 | 160 | 42 |
| Morbihan | 537,528 | 643,873 | 710,034 | 759,684 | 6,823 | 111 | 56 |
| Gard | 406,815 | 623,125 | 694,323 | 748,437 | 5,853 | 128 | 30 |
| Meurthe-et-Moselle | 592,632 | 713,779 | 729,768 | 733,760 | 5,246 | 140 | 54 |
| Calvados | 401,356 | 648,385 | 678,206 | 694,905 | 5,548 | 126 | 14 |
| Vendée | 390,396 | 539,664 | 616,906 | 685,442 | 6,720 | 102 | 85 |
| Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 422,719 | 600,018 | 647,420 | 682,621 | 7,645 | 89 | 64 |
| Loiret | 342,679 | 618,126 | 650,769 | 680,434 | 6,775 | 100 | 45 |
| Puy-de-Dôme | 500,590 | 604,266 | 628,485 | 662,152 | 7,970 | 83 | 63 |
| Ain | 322,918 | 515,270 | 581,355 | 652,432 | 5,762 | 113 | 01 |
| Charente-Maritime | 415,249 | 557,024 | 611,714 | 651,358 | 6,864 | 95 | 17 |
| Indre-et-Loire | 335,226 | 554,003 | 585,406 | 610,079 | 6,127 | 100 | 37 |
| Côtes-d'Armor | 539,531 | 542,373 | 581,570 | 600,582 | 6,878 | 87 | 22 |
| Eure | 305,788 | 541,054 | 577,087 | 599,507 | 6,040 | 99 | 27 |
| Somme | 466,626 | 555,551 | 568,086 | 570,559 | 6,170 | 93 | 80 |
| Marne | 412,156 | 565,229 | 566,010 | 566,855 | 8,162 | 69 | 51 |
| Sarthe | 384,619 | 529,851 | 559,587 | 566,412 | 6,206 | 91 | 72 |
| Vaucluse | 241,689 | 499,685 | 538,902 | 561,469 | 3,567 | 157 | 84 |
| Saône-et-Loire | 538,741 | 544,893 | 553,968 | 551,493 | 8,575 | 64 | 71 |
| Doubs | 305,500 | 499,062 | 522,685 | 543,974 | 5,234 | 104 | 25 |
| Côte-d'Or | 333,800 | 506,755 | 521,608 | 534,124 | 8,763 | 61 | 21 |
| Aisne | 489,368 | 535,489 | 538,790 | 531,345 | 7,369 | 72 | 02 |
| Drôme | 267,080 | 437,778 | 478,069 | 516,762 | 6,530 | 79 | 26 |
| Manche | 433,473 | 481,471 | 496,937 | 495,045 | 5,938 | 83 | 50 |
| Pyrénées-Orientales | 238,647 | 392,803 | 441,387 | 479,979 | 4,116 | 117 | 66 |
| Vienne | 303,072 | 399,024 | 424,354 | 438,435 | 6,990 | 63 | 86 |
| Savoie | 235,544 | 373,258 | 408,842 | 436,434 | 6,028 | 72 | 73 |
| Eure-et-Loir | 254,790 | 407,665 | 423,559 | 431,575 | 5,880 | 73 | 28 |
| Landes | 257,186 | 327,334 | 373,142 | 413,690 | 9,243 | 45 | 40 |
| Dordogne | 383,720 | 388,293 | 409,388 | 413,223 | 9,060 | 46 | 24 |
| Tarn | 302,994 | 343,402 | 371,738 | 389,844 | 5,758 | 68 | 81 |
| Guadeloupe | – | 422,496 | 401,784 | 384,239 | 1,628[6] | 236 | 971 |
| Deux-Sèvres | 308,481 | 344,392 | 365,059 | 374,878 | 5,999 | 63 | 79 |
| Aude | 296,880 | 309,770 | 349,237 | 374,070 | 6,139 | 61 | 11 |
| Haute-Vienne | 335,873 | 353,893 | 373,940 | 372,359 | 5,520 | 68 | 87 |
| Martinique | – | 381,427 | 397,693 | 364,508 | 1,128 | 323 | 972 |
| Vosges | 377,980 | 380,952 | 380,145 | 364,499 | 5,874 | 62 | 88 |
| Charente | 310,489 | 339,628 | 351,581 | 352,015 | 5,956 | 59 | 16 |
| Allier | 373,924 | 344,721 | 342,807 | 335,975 | 7,340 | 46 | 03 |
| Yonne | 275,755 | 333,221 | 342,359 | 335,707 | 7,427 | 45 | 89 |
| Lot-et-Garonne | 247,500 | 305,380 | 326,399 | 331,271 | 5,361 | 62 | 47 |
| Loir-et-Cher | 241,592 | 314,968 | 326,599 | 329,470 | 6,343 | 52 | 41 |
| Ardèche | 282,911 | 286,023 | 311,452 | 328,278 | 5,529 | 59 | 07 |
| Aube | 242,596 | 292,131 | 301,327 | 310,242 | 6,004 | 52 | 10 |
| Mayenne | 254,479 | 285,338 | 302,983 | 307,062 | 5,175 | 59 | 53 |
| Cher | 293,918 | 314,428 | 313,251 | 302,306 | 7,235 | 42 | 18 |
| Guyane | – | 157,213 | 219,266 | 281,678 | 83,534 | 3 | 973 |
| Orne | 273,717 | 292,337 | 292,282 | 279,942 | 6,103 | 46 | 61 |
| Aveyron | 323,782 | 263,808 | 275,889 | 279,595 | 8,735 | 32 | 12 |
| Ardennes | 293,746 | 290,130 | 284,197 | 270,582 | 5,229 | 52 | 08 |
| Mayotte | – | 131,320[7] | 186,452[8] | 269,579[9] | 374 | 720 | 976 |
| Tarn-et-Garonne | 164,259 | 206,034 | 235,915 | 260,669 | 3,718 | 70 | 82 |
| Jura | 229,109 | 250,857 | 260,740 | 259,199 | 4,999 | 52 | 39 |
| Corrèze | 264,129 | 232,576 | 242,896 | 240,073 | 5,857 | 41 | 19 |
| Haute-Saône | 219,257 | 229,732 | 238,548 | 235,313 | 5,360 | 44 | 70 |
| Hautes-Pyrénées | 189,993 | 222,368 | 229,079 | 229,567 | 4,464 | 51 | 65 |
| Haute-Loire | 251,608 | 209,113 | 221,834 | 227,570 | 4,977 | 46 | 43 |
| Indre | 247,912 | 231,139 | 232,004 | 219,316 | 6,791 | 32 | 36 |
| Nièvre | 255,195 | 225,198 | 220,653 | 204,452 | 6,817 | 30 | 58 |
| Gers | 193,134 | 172,335 | 185,266 | 191,377 | 6,257 | 31 | 32 |
| Meuse | 215,819 | 192,198 | 194,218 | 184,083 | 6,211 | 30 | 55 |
| Haute-Corse | – | 141,603 | 162,013 | 181,933 | 4,666 | 39 | 2B |
| Lot | 166,637 | 160,197 | 172,796 | 174,094 | 5,217 | 33 | 46 |
| Haute-Marne | 189,791 | 194,873 | 186,470 | 172,512 | 6,211 | 28 | 52 |
| Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 87,566 | 139,561 | 157,965 | 164,308 | 6,925 | 24 | 04 |
| Corse-du-Sud | – | 118,593 | 140,953 | 158,507 | 4,014 | 40 | 2A |
| Ariège | 161,265 | 137,205 | 150,201 | 153,287 | 4,890 | 31 | 09 |
| Cantal | 193,505 | 150,778 | 148,737 | 144,692 | 5,726 | 25 | 15 |
| Territoire de Belfort | 99,403 | 137,408 | 141,958 | 141,318 | 609 | 232 | 90 |
| Hautes-Alpes | 87,566 | 121,419 | 134,205 | 141,220 | 5,549 | 26 | 05 |
| Creuse | 207,882 | 124,470 | 123,907 | 116,617 | 5,565 | 21 | 23 |
| Lozère | 101,849 | 73,509 | 76,973 | 76,604 | 5,167 | 15 | 48 |