Census: these cities that lose inhabitants, and those that gain (a lot)

We are 67.16 million inhabitants in France.

Or rather: we were.

INSEE published its traditional census result on Thursday, looking at the number of inhabitants that we were in the country (excluding Mayotte) on January 1, 2020. If it continues to increase, although slowing down, this n is not the case everywhere, at the risk of moving towards a two-speed France, with places gaining and others losing in population.

Thus, in Martinique (-1% each year on average), in Nièvre (-0.9%), in Haute-Marne (-0.8%) and in Meuse (-0.8%), we are losing inhabitants.

These are not the only ones: a third of French departments are in this situation.

Conversely, in Guyana (+ 2.1%), Loire-Atlantique, Hérault, Gironde and Haute-Garonne (+ 1.2% for these last four departments), the population is increasing considerably.

“Between 2014 and 2020, the annual growth rate of the population of France excluding Mayotte decreases compared to that observed between 2009 and 2014: + 0.3% against + 0.5%, generally observes INSEE, in his study published on his website.

This observation is found in all regions, with the exception of Provence‑Alpes‑Côte d'Azur, where growth is identical.

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Saint-Tropez, Calais, Le Havre, Paris lose inhabitants

But on closer inspection, the INSEE figures show very different dynamics depending on the city.

For this analysis, we have selected municipalities with more than 3000 inhabitants - look at the evolution of the population in small municipalities having little interest and distorting reality.

Pommerol (Drôme), for example, lost almost 20% of its population each year, between 2014 and 2020, with only 5 inhabitants on January 1.

Anse-Bertrand, in Guadeloupe, is the town of more than 3,000 inhabitants which has lost the most inhabitants each year: - 4.8%, between 2014 and 2020. In second place, we find the well-known town of… Saint Tropez.

This posh seaside resort in the Var, where real estate prices have increased by 20% in ten years (reaching or even exceeding those of Paris), has lost 3.1% of its inhabitants annually.

Not far from there, Briançon (Hautes-Alpes) has lost 2.3% of its inhabitants each year.

Among the large cities that are losing inhabitants, let us also mention the case of Calais (Nord, -2% each year), Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (Manche, -0.7%) or Le Havre (Seine-Maritime, -0 .7%).

Due to high prices, especially for real estate, Paris is also losing inhabitants: -0.6% each year, between 2014 and 2020. Its neighboring town of Neuilly-sur-Seine, also very expensive, has seen its number of inhabitants melt by 0.7% annually over the same period.

The trend may have accelerated with Covid-19 and the generalization of work, but these INSEE data do not allow us to see it.

+15% each year for Bezannes

The decline of some cities benefits others.

Bezannes (Marne), near Reims, has thus seen its number of inhabitants increase by 14.9% each year, between 2014 and 2020, going from 1,500 inhabitants to more than double.

At the beginning of the year, its mayor almost deplored the situation: this growth forced it to hire more staff in premises that had become too small, to build a new school and to welcome residents despite a lack of infrastructure.

"It is the exponential side of the increase that poses a problem", noted Dominique Potar, with the Union.

Fortunately, rare are the French cities to have the same evolution as that of Bezannes.

Rubelles (Seine-et-Marne), near Melun, has seen its population increase annually by 6.8%.

In the same department, Montévrain (+ 6.3%) and Chessy (+ 5.6%) are driven by the development and construction of housing by the hundreds around Disneyland Paris.

In Île-de-France, again, Fleury-Mérogis confirms its appeal, with an annual increase in its number of inhabitants of 6.7%.

Read alsoParis is still losing inhabitants, Seine-Saint-Denis boosted by its youth

Elsewhere in France, Saint-Genis-Pouilly (Ain) saw its number of inhabitants increase by 6.4% each year over the period.

It is no coincidence: the city is located on the border with Switzerland.

Far from it, Montarnaud (Hérault) observes the same evolution of its population.

And the situation is not without cause for concern: since September, reports Midi Libre, no more building permits are authorized there… for lack of water!

In the suburbs of Lyon, Vaulx-en-Velin (Rhône) has gained 2.2% of inhabitants each year.

Cagnes-sur-Mer (Alpes-Maritimes), Montpellier (Hérault) and Toulon (Var) are also on the rise with 1.4% of inhabitants annually, between 2014 and 2020.

"Between 2014 and 2020, the population is growing twice as fast in urban areas as in rural areas", notes INSEE, noting growth "on average more sustained in urban belts".

And the institute of statistics to note that, "within the rural space, the population decreases at the rate of 0.3% per year in the communes with very dispersed habitat".

This is enough to further widen the gap between the France of the countryside and that of the cities...