In recent years, between the Covid crisis and rising prices, many Parisians and Ile-de-France residents have left the region to settle in the provinces. According to the latest census figures, as at January 1, 2021, published by Insee, the Île-de-France region remains by far the most populous in the country, with 12.3 million inhabitants, or 18% of the French population. However, demographics have been slowing down since 2015, especially in Paris, as the capital continues to lose its occupants.
This is explained by a drop in the natural balance, i.e. the difference between the number of births and deaths in a territory, but also by the cost of living in the region, where housing is a major budget item. The decline began in the capital in 2012, and between 2015 and 2021, the capital will lose an average of 12,200 inhabitants per year. Seine-Saint-Denis , on the other hand, is growing, but has a higher population density, as do Val-d'Oise and Seine-et-Marne.
Behind Île-de-France is the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with over 8 million inhabitants. In contrast, the Centre-Val-de-Loire region has just 2.5 million inhabitants, ranking last in metropolitan France, ahead of Corsica and the French Overseas Departments and Territories.
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www.insee.fr
