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2026 ranking · access to general practitioners (APL)

Medical deserts: the towns in Pays de la Loire with the poorest access to general practitioners

Blandouet-Saint Jean (Mayenne) has the poorest access to general practitioners in Pays de la Loire: 0.8 visits per inhabitant per year. Next come Saint-Denis-des-Coudrais (Sarthe, 0.8 visits per inhabitant per year) and Saint-Léonard-des-Bois (Sarthe, 0.8 visits per inhabitant per year).

1,228 towns ranked

Blandouet-Saint Jean, 1stThe next 19

The podium

  1. 1stBlandouet-Saint Jean 0.8visits/yr Mayenne
  2. 2ndSaint-Denis-des-Coudrais 0.8visits/yr Sarthe
  3. 3rdSaint-Léonard-des-Bois 0.8visits/yr Sarthe

This ranking covers all 1,228 towns in Pays de la Loire. The table is split into pages of 100 towns. At the other end of the ranking, Basse-Goulaine (Loire-Atlantique) comes last with 7.8 visits per inhabitant per year.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: medical deserts in Pays de la Loire

Rank Town Department Visits per inhabitant per year Proportional bar Population
1 Blandouet-Saint Jean Mayenne (53) 0.8 566
2 Saint-Denis-des-Coudrais Sarthe (72) 0.8 114
3 Saint-Léonard-des-Bois Sarthe (72) 0.8 482
4 Rahay Sarthe (72) 0.9 171
5 Valennes Sarthe (72) 0.9 305
6 La Bigottière Mayenne (53) 0.9 493
7 Challes Sarthe (72) 1.0 1,178
8 Sougé-le-Ganelon Sarthe (72) 1.0 851
9 Saint-Paul-le-Gaultier Sarthe (72) 1.0 290
10 Assé-le-Boisne Sarthe (72) 1.0 910
11 Saint-Pierre-des-Nids Mayenne (53) 1.1 1,783
12 Le Tablier Vendée (85) 1.1 777
13 Val-de-la-Hune Sarthe (72) 1.1 1,550
14 Alexain Mayenne (53) 1.1 622
15 Origné Mayenne (53) 1.1 398
16 Boëssé-le-Sec Sarthe (72) 1.1 517
17 Le Bourgneuf-la-Forêt Mayenne (53) 1.1 1,810
18 Somloire Maine-et-Loire (49) 1.2 906
19 Boulay-les-Ifs Mayenne (53) 1.2 143
20 Champfrémont Mayenne (53) 1.2 288
21 Andouillé Mayenne (53) 1.2 2,383
22 Treize-Vents Vendée (85) 1.2 1,255
23 Villaines-sous-Lucé Sarthe (72) 1.2 671
24 Pruillé-l'Éguillé Sarthe (72) 1.2 812
25 Torcé-Viviers-en-Charnie Mayenne (53) 1.2 780
26 Ravigny Mayenne (53) 1.2 239
27 Marolles-lès-Saint-Calais Sarthe (72) 1.2 294
28 La Boissière-des-Landes Vendée (85) 1.2 1,481
29 Nogent-le-Bernard Sarthe (72) 1.2 879
30 Saint-Martin-des-Monts Sarthe (72) 1.2 182
31 Montaillé Sarthe (72) 1.2 522
32 Le Ribay Mayenne (53) 1.2 474
33 Apremont Vendée (85) 1.2 2,140
34 Faymoreau Vendée (85) 1.3 212
35 tied Fresnay-sur-Sarthe Sarthe (72) 1.3 2,969
35 tied Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson Mayenne (53) 1.3 2,366
35 tied Saint-Ouen-de-Mimbré Sarthe (72) 1.3 926
38 Saint-Aubin-du-Désert Mayenne (53) 1.3 232
39 tied Saint-Mars-du-Désert Mayenne (53) 1.3 164
39 tied Thoiré-sous-Contensor Sarthe (72) 1.3 112
41 Montrevault-sur-Èvre Maine-et-Loire (49) 1.3 16,045
42 Orée d'Anjou Maine-et-Loire (49) 1.3 17,527
43 Saint-Aubin-des-Coudrais Sarthe (72) 1.3 903
44 Marcillé-la-Ville Mayenne (53) 1.3 782
45 tied Montrelais Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.3 866
45 tied Le Horps Mayenne (53) 1.3 746
47 Dehault Sarthe (72) 1.3 244
48 Duneau Sarthe (72) 1.3 1,095
49 Les Cerqueux Maine-et-Loire (49) 1.4 912
50 Saint-Germain-d'Anxure Mayenne (53) 1.4 370
51 La Regrippière Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.4 1,634
52 Maisoncelles Sarthe (72) 1.4 204
53 Le Girouard Vendée (85) 1.4 1,178
54 Antoigné Maine-et-Loire (49) 1.4 452
55 La Meilleraye-de-Bretagne Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.4 1,632
56 Berfay Sarthe (72) 1.4 340
57 Douillet Sarthe (72) 1.4 324
58 Sion-les-Mines Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.4 1,692
59 Conflans-sur-Anille Sarthe (72) 1.4 475
60 tied La Chapelle-Huon Sarthe (72) 1.4 524
60 tied Le Ham Mayenne (53) 1.4 348
62 tied Cérans-Foulletourte Sarthe (72) 1.4 3,390
62 tied Saint-Thomas-de-Courceriers Mayenne (53) 1.4 167
64 Soucé Mayenne (53) 1.4 139
65 Saint-Malô-du-Bois Vendée (85) 1.4 1,668
66 Soulvache Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.4 346
67 tied Le Grand-Lucé Sarthe (72) 1.4 1,969
67 tied Massérac Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.4 671
69 tied Saint-Hilaire-le-Vouhis Vendée (85) 1.4 1,127
69 tied Pontmain Mayenne (53) 1.4 815
71 Tresson Sarthe (72) 1.4 523
72 Prévelles Sarthe (72) 1.4 195
73 La Bosse Sarthe (72) 1.5 157
74 Moulins-le-Carbonnel Sarthe (72) 1.5 708
75 Surfonds Sarthe (72) 1.5 345
76 Bazoges-en-Pareds Vendée (85) 1.5 1,212
77 Saint-Calais Sarthe (72) 1.5 3,146
78 Saint-Aubin-des-Ormeaux Vendée (85) 1.5 1,428
79 La Jaille-Yvon Maine-et-Loire (49) 1.5 349
80 La Châtaigneraie Vendée (85) 1.5 2,638
81 Écorpain Sarthe (72) 1.5 306
82 Marillet Vendée (85) 1.5 127
83 Vouvray-sur-Huisne Sarthe (72) 1.5 135
84 La Chapelle-du-Bois Sarthe (72) 1.5 785
85 Thorigné-en-Charnie Mayenne (53) 1.5 199
86 tied Tuffé Val de la Chéronne Sarthe (72) 1.5 1,693
86 tied Préval Sarthe (72) 1.5 670
88 Coulans-sur-Gée Sarthe (72) 1.5 1,679
89 Launay-Villiers Mayenne (53) 1.5 359
90 La Meilleraie-Tillay Vendée (85) 1.5 1,516
91 Saint-Gervais-de-Vic Sarthe (72) 1.5 388
92 Monsireigne Vendée (85) 1.5 1,028
93 Saint-Aignan-de-Couptrain Mayenne (53) 1.5 360
94 La Bazouge-des-Alleux Mayenne (53) 1.5 570
95 Gesnes Mayenne (53) 1.5 254
96 Saint-Ouën-des-Toits Mayenne (53) 1.5 1,824
97 Château-Guibert Vendée (85) 1.5 1,612
98 Antigny Vendée (85) 1.5 1,038
99 Grand-Auverné Loire-Atlantique (44) 1.6 794
100 Charchigné Mayenne (53) 1.6 471

Source: DREES (French Ministry of Health), localized potential accessibility (APL) to general practitioners; general practitioner office and home visits accessible per inhabitant per year (APL). Not ranked: communes whose APL is not published. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Medical deserts in Pays de la Loire: FAQ

Which town in Pays de la Loire has the poorest access to general practitioners?

Blandouet-Saint Jean (Mayenne) has the poorest access to general practitioners in Pays de la Loire: 0.8 visits per inhabitant per year.

What are the 10 towns in Pays de la Loire with the poorest access to general practitioners?

In order: Blandouet-Saint Jean (0.8 visits per inhabitant per year), Saint-Denis-des-Coudrais (0.8 visits per inhabitant per year), Saint-Léonard-des-Bois (0.8 visits per inhabitant per year), Rahay (0.9 visits per inhabitant per year), Valennes (0.9 visits per inhabitant per year), La Bigottière (0.9 visits per inhabitant per year), Challes (1.0 visits per inhabitant per year), Sougé-le-Ganelon (1.0 visits per inhabitant per year), Saint-Paul-le-Gaultier (1.0 visits per inhabitant per year), and Assé-le-Boisne (1.0 visits per inhabitant per year).

Which town in Pays de la Loire has the best access to general practitioners?

Basse-Goulaine (Loire-Atlantique) has the best access to general practitioners in Pays de la Loire: 7.8 visits per inhabitant per year. See the towns in Pays de la Loire with the best access to general practitioners.

How many towns in Pays de la Loire are ranked?

All of them: the 1,228 towns in Pays de la Loire appear in this ranking.

How is access to doctors measured?

Localized potential accessibility (APL), calculated by DREES, the statistics office of the French Ministry of Health, measures how many general practitioner visits each inhabitant can access per year. It takes into account doctors in the commune and in nearby communes, how much they work, and the age of the population. In its studies, DREES describes communes with an APL below 2.5 visits per inhabitant per year as underserved. Values are high in tourist resorts, where doctors also serve a seasonal population.

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