Largest City in France

2026 list · population

Cities in France with 20,000 or more inhabitants in 2026

France has 497 cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants, according to the official population figures in force in 2026, from Paris (2,119,412 inhabitants) to Macouria (French Guiana, 20,050).

497 cities27,842,208 inhabitants

The podium

  1. View of Paris 1stParis 2,119,412inhab. Paris
  2. View of Marseille 2ndMarseille 892,391inhab. Bouches-du-Rhône
  3. View of Lyon 3rdLyon 525,314inhab. Rhône

Together they make up 1.4% of the 34,875 communes in France and are home to 40% of its population.

Cities are ranked by population, largest first. The list is split into pages of 100 cities.

The list of cities in France with 20,000 or more inhabitants

Rank City Department Population Proportional bar Area (km²)
1 Paris Paris (75) 2,119,412 105
2 Marseille Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 892,391 241
3 Lyon Rhône (69) 525,314 48
4 Toulouse Haute-Garonne (31) 519,940 118
5 Nice Alpes-Maritimes (06) 360,710 72
6 Nantes Loire-Atlantique (44) 332,515 65
7 Montpellier Hérault (34) 313,712 57
8 Strasbourg Bas-Rhin (67) 296,552 78
9 Bordeaux Gironde (33) 271,552 49
10 Lille Nord (59) 240,109 35
11 Rennes Ille-et-Vilaine (35) 234,950 50
12 Toulon Var (83) 180,774 43
13 Reims Marne (51) 180,733 47
14 Saint-Étienne Loire (42) 174,698 80
15 Le Havre Seine-Maritime (76) 168,588 47
16 Dijon Côte-d'Or (21) 164,963 40
17 Villeurbanne Rhône (69) 164,747 15
18 Angers Maine-et-Loire (49) 162,290 43
19 Grenoble Isère (38) 158,303 18
20 Saint-Denis Réunion (974) 157,142 143
21 Nîmes Gard (30) 154,017 162
22 Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 152,854 186
23 Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 149,936 16
24 Le Mans Sarthe (72) 148,876 53
25 Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme (63) 148,795 43
26 Brest Finistère (29) 144,890 50
27 Tours Indre-et-Loire (37) 141,746 35
28 Amiens Somme (80) 139,183 49
29 Annecy Haute-Savoie (74) 134,985 67
30 Limoges Haute-Vienne (87) 131,817 78
31 Metz Moselle (57) 124,396 42
32 Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 123,136 68
33 Besançon Doubs (25) 121,627 65
34 Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine (92) 120,206 6.2
35 Rouen Seine-Maritime (76) 119,165 21
36 Orléans Loiret (45) 118,788 27
37 Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 112,549 8.9
38 Caen Calvados (14) 111,546 26
39 Saint-Paul Réunion (974) 109,405 241
40 Argenteuil Val-d'Oise (95) 106,546 17
41 Mulhouse Haut-Rhin (68) 106,083 22
42 Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) 104,988 15
43 Tourcoing Nord (59) 99,346 15
44 Roubaix Nord (59) 98,701 13
45 Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine (92) 98,383 12
46 Mamoudzou Mayotte (976) 94,603 42
47 Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (92) 94,562 4.8
48 Vitry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne (94) 94,393 12
49 Créteil Val-de-Marne (94) 93,813 11
50 Avignon Vaucluse (84) 93,567 65
51 Poitiers Vienne (86) 92,187 42
52 Colombes Hauts-de-Seine (92) 91,663 7.8
53 Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 88,529 5.8
54 Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 87,951 16
55 Dunkerque Nord (59) 87,442 44
56 Saint-Pierre Réunion (974) 85,927 96
57 Versailles Yvelines (78) 85,750 26
58 Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine (92) 84,409 15
59 Le Tampon Réunion (974) 83,518 165
60 Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine (92) 83,480 4.2
61 Béziers Hérault (34) 82,629 95
62 Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) 81,891 32
63 La Rochelle Charente-Maritime (17) 81,843 28
64 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche (50) 80,317 69
65 Mérignac Gironde (33) 78,946 48
66 Antibes Alpes-Maritimes (06) 78,612 26
67 Champigny-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne (94) 78,400 11
68 Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Val-de-Marne (94) 77,413 11
69 Ajaccio Corse-du-Sud (2A) 77,132 82
70 Saint-Nazaire Loire-Atlantique (44) 76,243 47
71 Fort-de-France Martinique (972) 76,120 44
72 Cannes Alpes-Maritimes (06) 75,105 20
73 Noisy-le-Grand Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 73,408 13
74 Drancy Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 72,583 7.8
75 Cergy Val-d'Oise (95) 71,250 12
76 Levallois-Perret Hauts-de-Seine (92) 68,620 2.4
77 Issy-les-Moulineaux Hauts-de-Seine (92) 68,449 4.3
78 Calais Pas-de-Calais (62) 68,246 34
79 Pessac Gironde (33) 68,102 39
80 Colmar Haut-Rhin (68) 68,013 67
81 Évry-Courcouronnes Essonne (91) 67,272 13
82 Quimper Finistère (29) 66,579 84
83 Bourges Cher (18) 66,155 69
84 Vénissieux Rhône (69) 65,689 15
85 Valence Drôme (26) 65,647 37
86 Ivry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne (94) 65,263 6.1
87 Antony Hauts-de-Seine (92) 65,037 9.6
88 Clichy Hauts-de-Seine (92) 64,658 3.1
89 Montauban Tarn-et-Garonne (82) 64,523 135
90 La Seyne-sur-Mer Var (83) 64,430 22
91 Villeneuve-d'Ascq Nord (59) 63,462 27
92 Troyes Aube (10) 63,254 13
93 Cayenne French Guiana (973) 62,951 24
94 Le Blanc-Mesnil Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 62,547 8.1
95 Pantin Seine-Saint-Denis (93) 62,083 5.0
96 Niort Deux-Sèvres (79) 61,675 68
97 Chambéry Savoie (73) 61,493 21
98 Neuilly-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (92) 60,515 3.7
99 Fréjus Var (83) 60,503 102
100 Villejuif Val-de-Marne (94) 60,473 5.3

Cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants by department

DepartmentCitiesTheir population
Hauts-de-Seine (92)321,630,582
Seine-Saint-Denis (93)301,609,059
Val-de-Marne (94)301,245,268
Yvelines (78)24801,690
Nord (59)231,085,111
Essonne (91)23741,579
Val-d'Oise (95)21761,196
Gironde (33)16801,962
Rhône (69)161,208,579
Seine-et-Marne (77)16491,284
Bouches-du-Rhône (13)141,487,093
Réunion (974)13800,966
Alpes-Maritimes (06)12817,500
Loire-Atlantique (44)11677,755
Var (83)9530,156
Pas-de-Calais (62)8289,841
Seine-Maritime (76)8445,021
Haute-Garonne (31)7689,086
Hérault (34)7550,337
Isère (38)7341,575
Maine-et-Loire (49)6319,557
Guadeloupe (971)6183,131
French Guiana (973)6227,507
Moselle (57)5231,129
Bas-Rhin (67)5417,696
Vaucluse (84)5203,015
Drôme (26)4161,980
Ille-et-Vilaine (35)4324,684
Loiret (45)4188,627
Oise (60)4157,418
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)4208,766
Vendée (85)4154,023
Mayotte (976)4172,297
Aisne (02)3107,436
Calvados (14)3155,414
Charente-Maritime (17)3132,697
Finistère (29)3233,104
Loire (42)3246,830
Marne (51)3247,275
Morbihan (56)3141,353
Haut-Rhin (68)3197,168
Saône-et-Loire (71)3103,165
Savoie (73)3114,900
Haute-Savoie (74)3211,909
Martinique (972)3137,551
Ain (01)266,884
Allier (03)259,552
Aude (11)2105,822
Aveyron (12)248,363
Cher (18)291,682
Côte-d'Or (21)2185,962
Côtes-d'Armor (22)266,777
Dordogne (24)258,359
Doubs (25)2146,786
Eure (27)276,474
Eure-et-Loir (28)271,363
Gard (30)2200,649
Indre-et-Loire (37)2180,582
Landes (40)255,953
Lot-et-Garonne (47)256,751
Manche (50)2100,530
Haute-Marne (52)245,170
Meurthe-et-Moselle (54)2135,192
Puy-de-Dôme (63)2169,136
Deux-Sèvres (79)282,709
Somme (80)2161,976
Tarn (81)296,583
Vienne (86)2123,843
Yonne (89)263,845
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)123,349
Hautes-Alpes (05)142,685
Ardennes (08)146,473
Aube (10)163,254
Cantal (15)127,578
Charente (16)143,454
Corrèze (19)148,330
Corse-du-Sud (2A)177,132
Haute-Corse (2B)147,374
Gers (32)123,451
Indre (36)144,536
Jura (39)124,654
Loir-et-Cher (41)148,742
Lot (46)120,887
Mayenne (53)151,719
Nièvre (58)134,018
Orne (61)126,175
Hautes-Pyrénées (65)145,361
Pyrénées-Orientales (66)1123,136
Sarthe (72)1148,876
Paris (75)12,119,412
Tarn-et-Garonne (82)164,523
Haute-Vienne (87)1131,817
Vosges (88)133,395
Territoire de Belfort (90)146,662

Source: INSEE, official population figures (total population) in force on January 1, 2026; areas: IGN / Observatoire des territoires. Paris, Lyon and Marseille each count as one commune. Data sources.

FAQ

Cities over 20,000 inhabitants: FAQ

How many cities in France have 20,000 or more inhabitants?

497 in 2026, according to the official INSEE population figures (total population).

Which is the smallest city in France with 20,000 or more inhabitants?

Macouria (French Guiana), with 20,050 inhabitants.

Which department has the most cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants?

Hauts-de-Seine, with 32.

Which population figure is used?

The official total population published by INSEE and in force on January 1, 2026: the municipal population plus people counted separately (students, boarders and people in institutions who have a residence in another commune).

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