Chambéry Population and Area (Savoie)
Largest city in France 2026: up-to-date figures for Chambéry (Savoie)
Chambéry: Population and Area
With 61,493 inhabitants (INSEE total population in force on January 1, 2026), Chambéry is the 96th most populous town in France in 2026 and the most populous in the Savoie department, out of 273 communes. It covers 21 km² (7,467th largest area in France, 72nd largest in the department), with a population density of 2,930 inhabitants per km², or 27 times the national average (110 inhabitants/km²), which ranks it 299th in France for density.
Chambéry is located in the Savoie department (73), in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (formerly Rhône-Alpes), where it ranks 9th by population out of 4,025 communes. It is the most populous town in the Savoie department, which is home to 460,217 people over 6,028 km².
See the full ranking of communes in the Savoie department and the regional ranking: largest city in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Towns of similar size in the Savoie department: Aix-les-Bains (pop. 32,944), Albertville (pop. 20,463), La Motte-Servolex (pop. 12,730).
Sources: INSEE, official population figures in force on January 1, 2026 (total population); areas: IGN / Observatoire des territoires; INSEE code 73065. Rankings are calculated across the 34,858 communes of metropolitan and overseas France in our database.
Chambéry, former capital of Savoy
Prefecture of the Savoie department and its most populous town, Chambéry was the capital of the States of Savoy until the 16th century. Its Château des Ducs de Savoie, its Sainte-Chapelle and the Fontaine des Éléphants recall that past, as does the annexation of Savoy to France in 1860.
A large city between two mountain ranges
Set in a cluse, a transverse valley between the Bauges and Chartreuse massifs, a few kilometers from the Lac du Bourget, Chambéry occupies a narrow site that limits its expansion: the commune is dense, and the urban area grows in the neighboring towns of the valley. Its size rests on its role as prefecture, on the Université Savoie Mont Blanc, on the nearby ski resorts and on its position as a crossroads between Lyon, Grenoble, Geneva and Italy. Its population is growing slowly, driven by the appeal of the Northern Alps.