How many cities in France have 50,000 or more inhabitants?

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

Which is the smallest city in France with 50,000 or more inhabitants?

Évreux (Eure), with 50,601 inhabitants.

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).

Cities in France with Over 50,000 Inhabitants: 2026 List

Together they make up 0.4% of the 34,875 communes in France and are home to 24% 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 50,000 or more inhabitants

Rank	City	Department	Population	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 50,000 or more inhabitants by department

Department	Cities	Their population
Hauts-de-Seine (92)	13	1,010,271
Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	13	976,756
Val-de-Marne (94)	8	581,108
Réunion (974)	6	550,996
Alpes-Maritimes (06)	5	620,076
Nord (59)	5	589,060
Rhône (69)	4	809,031
Var (83)	4	362,470
Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	3	1,097,760
Gironde (33)	3	418,600
Loire-Atlantique (44)	3	460,439
Essonne (91)	3	174,025
Val-d'Oise (95)	3	237,181
Finistère (29)	2	211,469
Hérault (34)	2	396,341
Maine-et-Loire (49)	2	218,653
Morbihan (56)	2	117,601
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	2	137,481
Haut-Rhin (68)	2	174,096
Seine-Maritime (76)	2	287,753
Seine-et-Marne (77)	2	112,260
Yvelines (78)	2	138,904
Vendée (85)	2	108,607
French Guiana (973)	2	117,669
Aisne (02)	1	53,963
Aube (10)	1	63,254
Aude (11)	1	58,669
Calvados (14)	1	111,546
Charente-Maritime (17)	1	81,843
Cher (18)	1	66,155
Côte-d'Or (21)	1	164,963
Doubs (25)	1	121,627
Drôme (26)	1	65,647
Eure (27)	1	50,601
Corse-du-Sud (2A)	1	77,132
Gard (30)	1	154,017
Haute-Garonne (31)	1	519,940
Ille-et-Vilaine (35)	1	234,950
Indre-et-Loire (37)	1	141,746
Isère (38)	1	158,303
Loire (42)	1	174,698
Loiret (45)	1	118,788
Manche (50)	1	80,317
Marne (51)	1	180,733
Mayenne (53)	1	51,719
Meurthe-et-Moselle (54)	1	104,988
Moselle (57)	1	124,396
Oise (60)	1	56,934
Pas-de-Calais (62)	1	68,246
Puy-de-Dôme (63)	1	148,795
Pyrénées-Orientales (66)	1	123,136
Bas-Rhin (67)	1	296,552
Sarthe (72)	1	148,876
Savoie (73)	1	61,493
Haute-Savoie (74)	1	134,985
Paris (75)	1	2,119,412
Deux-Sèvres (79)	1	61,675
Somme (80)	1	139,183
Tarn (81)	1	52,783
Tarn-et-Garonne (82)	1	64,523
Vaucluse (84)	1	93,567
Vienne (86)	1	92,187
Haute-Vienne (87)	1	131,817
Guadeloupe (971)	1	51,441
Martinique (972)	1	76,120
Mayotte (976)	1	94,603

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.

Cities in France with 50,000 or more inhabitants in 2026

The podium

The list of cities in France with 50,000 or more inhabitants

Cities with 50,000 or more inhabitants by department

Cities over 50,000 inhabitants: FAQ

How many cities in France have 50,000 or more inhabitants?

Which is the smallest city in France with 50,000 or more inhabitants?

Which department has the most cities with 50,000 or more inhabitants?

Which population figure is used?