Challans Population and Area (Vendée)

Challans: Population and Area

With 23,627 inhabitants (INSEE total population in force on January 1, 2026), Challans is the 390^th most populous town in France in 2026 and the 3^rd most populous in the Vendée department, out of 253 communes. It covers 65 km² (652^nd largest area in France, 11^th largest in the department), with a population density of 364 inhabitants per km², or 3.3 times the national average (110 inhabitants/km²), which ranks it 2,469^th in France for density.

Challans is located in the Vendée department (85), in the Pays de la Loire region, where it ranks 18^th by population out of 1,228 communes. The most populous town in the Vendée department is La Roche-sur-Yon (57,683 inhabitants); the department is home to 732,903 people over 6,714 km².

See the full ranking of communes in the Vendée department and the regional ranking: largest city in Pays de la Loire.

Towns of similar size in the Vendée department: La Roche-sur-Yon (pop. 57,683), Les Sables-d'Olonne (pop. 50,924), Montaigu-Vendée (pop. 21,789), Les Herbiers (pop. 17,053), Fontenay-le-Comte (pop. 14,668).

Sources: INSEE, official population figures in force on January 1, 2026 (total population); areas: IGN / Observatoire des territoires; INSEE code 85047. Rankings are calculated across the 34,858 communes of metropolitan and overseas France in our database.