Largest city in Brittany: the 2026 ranking
The largest cities in Brittany and its 4 departments compared by population, area and density, based on the official INSEE population figures in force in 2026.
The largest city in Brittany is Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), with 234,950 inhabitants, ranked 11th in France by population, ahead of Brest (144,890) and Quimper (66,579).
Brittany has 1,202 communes and 3,537,071 inhabitants over 27,202 km², or 5.1% of the French population, with a density of 130 inhabitants per km² (national average: 110). Its most populous department is Ille-et-Vilaine (1,145,286 inhabitants), and its least populous is Côtes-d'Armor (629,517).
Departments of Brittany
| Department | Towns | Population | km² | per km² | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 332 | 1,145,286 | 6,775 | 169 | Rennes (234,950) |
| Finistère (29) | 277 | 957,671 | 6,733 | 142 | Brest (144,890) |
| Morbihan (56) | 249 | 804,597 | 6,817 | 118 | Lorient (59,856) |
| Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 344 | 629,517 | 6,878 | 92 | Saint-Brieuc (45,736) |
The 20 largest cities in Brittany by population
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rennes | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 234,950 | 50 | 4,663 | 11th |
| 2 | Brest | Finistère (29) | 144,890 | 50 | 2,926 | 26th |
| 3 | Quimper | Finistère (29) | 66,579 | 84 | 788 | 81st |
| 4 | Lorient | Morbihan (56) | 59,856 | 17 | 3,424 | 100th |
| 5 | Vannes | Morbihan (56) | 57,745 | 32 | 1,788 | 105th |
| 6 | Saint-Malo | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 48,675 | 37 | 1,331 | 141st |
| 7 | Saint-Brieuc | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 45,736 | 22 | 2,090 | 161st |
| 8 | Lanester | Morbihan (56) | 23,752 | 18 | 1,293 | 387th |
| 9 | Concarneau | Finistère (29) | 21,635 | 41 | 527 | 444th |
| 10 | Lannion | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 21,041 | 44 | 479 | 457th |
| 11 | Fougères | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 20,946 | 10 | 2,002 | 464th |
| 12 | Bruz | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 20,113 | 30 | 672 | 491st |
| 13 | Vitré | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 19,938 | 37 | 538 | 497th |
| 14 | Ploemeur | Morbihan (56) | 19,496 | 40 | 491 | 507th |
| 15 | Cesson-Sévigné | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 19,263 | 32 | 599 | 512th |
| 16 | Lamballe-Armor | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 17,746 | 131 | 136 | 564th |
| 17 | Landerneau | Finistère (29) | 16,975 | 13 | 1,287 | 589th |
| 18 | Hennebont | Morbihan (56) | 16,385 | 19 | 882 | 605th |
| 19 | Guipavas | Finistère (29) | 15,882 | 44 | 360 | 632nd |
| 20 | Morlaix | Finistère (29) | 15,647 | 25 | 630 | 644th |
Largest towns by area in Brittany
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Mené | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 6,671 | 163 | 41 | 72nd |
| 2 | Lamballe-Armor | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 17,746 | 131 | 136 | 130th |
| 3 | Scaër | Finistère (29) | 5,286 | 118 | 45 | 166th |
| 4 | Paimpont | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 1,812 | 110 | 16 | 187th |
| 5 | Languidic | Morbihan (56) | 8,205 | 109 | 75 | 194th |
| 6 | Forges de Lanouée | Morbihan (56) | 2,311 | 96 | 24 | 258th |
| 7 | Guipry-Messac | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 7,524 | 92 | 82 | 288th |
| 8 | Poullaouen | Finistère (29) | 1,504 | 89 | 17 | 314th |
| 9 | Pluméliau-Bieuzy | Morbihan (56) | 4,705 | 87 | 54 | 332nd |
| 10 | Guiscriff | Morbihan (56) | 2,088 | 85 | 24 | 349th |
Most densely populated towns in Brittany
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rennes | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 234,950 | 50 | 4,663 | 158th |
| 2 | Lorient | Morbihan (56) | 59,856 | 17 | 3,424 | 243rd |
| 3 | Brest | Finistère (29) | 144,890 | 50 | 2,926 | 301st |
| 4 | Port-Louis | Morbihan (56) | 2,704 | 1.1 | 2,527 | 357th |
| 5 | Guingamp | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 7,672 | 3.4 | 2,250 | 403rd |
| 6 | Auray | Morbihan (56) | 14,607 | 6.9 | 2,114 | 424th |
| 7 | Saint-Brieuc | Côtes-d'Armor (22) | 45,736 | 22 | 2,090 | 431st |
| 8 | Fougères | Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | 20,946 | 10 | 2,002 | 451st |
| 9 | Le Relecq-Kerhuon | Finistère (29) | 12,171 | 6.4 | 1,893 | 480th |
| 10 | Vannes | Morbihan (56) | 57,745 | 32 | 1,788 | 507th |
Other regions of France
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Centre-Val de Loire Corsica Grand Est Guadeloupe French Guiana Hauts-de-France Île-de-France Réunion Martinique Normandy Nouvelle-Aquitaine Occitanie Pays de la Loire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Sources: INSEE, official population figures in force on January 1, 2026 (total population); land area: IGN / Observatoire des territoires. Rankings computed across the 34,858 communes in the database.