Largest city in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: the 2026 ranking
The largest cities in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and its 6 departments compared by population, area and density, based on the official INSEE population figures in force in 2026.
The largest city in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), with 892,391 inhabitants, ranked 2nd in France by population, ahead of Nice (360,710) and Toulon (180,774).
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur has 946 communes and 5,293,055 inhabitants over 31,400 km², or 7.6% of the French population, with a density of 169 inhabitants per km² (national average: 110). Its most populous department is Bouches-du-Rhône (2,112,170 inhabitants), and its least populous is Hautes-Alpes (147,756).
Departments of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
| Department | Towns | Population | km² | per km² | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 119 | 2,112,170 | 5,087 | 415 | Marseille (892,391) |
| Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 163 | 1,142,503 | 4,299 | 266 | Nice (360,710) |
| Var (83) | 153 | 1,135,585 | 5,973 | 190 | Toulon (180,774) |
| Vaucluse (84) | 151 | 582,656 | 3,567 | 163 | Avignon (93,567) |
| Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) | 198 | 172,385 | 6,925 | 25 | Manosque (23,349) |
| Hautes-Alpes (05) | 162 | 147,756 | 5,549 | 27 | Gap (42,685) |
The 20 largest cities in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur by population
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marseille | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 892,391 | 241 | 3,709 | 2nd |
| 2 | Nice | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 360,710 | 72 | 5,015 | 5th |
| 3 | Toulon | Var (83) | 180,774 | 43 | 4,220 | 12th |
| 4 | Aix-en-Provence | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 152,854 | 186 | 821 | 22nd |
| 5 | Avignon | Vaucluse (84) | 93,567 | 65 | 1,441 | 49th |
| 6 | Antibes | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 78,612 | 26 | 2,969 | 65th |
| 7 | Cannes | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 75,105 | 20 | 3,828 | 71st |
| 8 | La Seyne-sur-Mer | Var (83) | 64,430 | 22 | 2,906 | 89th |
| 9 | Fréjus | Var (83) | 60,503 | 102 | 592 | 98th |
| 10 | Hyères | Var (83) | 56,763 | 132 | 429 | 111th |
| 11 | Cagnes-sur-Mer | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 53,819 | 18 | 2,998 | 120th |
| 12 | Arles | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 52,515 | 759 | 69 | 127th |
| 13 | Grasse | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 51,830 | 44 | 1,166 | 129th |
| 14 | Martigues | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 48,807 | 71 | 683 | 139th |
| 15 | Aubagne | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 47,920 | 55 | 873 | 144th |
| 16 | Istres | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 44,953 | 114 | 395 | 165th |
| 17 | Salon-de-Provence | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 44,736 | 70 | 636 | 167th |
| 18 | Gap | Hautes-Alpes (05) | 42,685 | 110 | 387 | 184th |
| 19 | Le Cannet | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 42,297 | 7.7 | 5,486 | 186th |
| 20 | Draguignan | Var (83) | 41,617 | 54 | 774 | 190th |
Largest towns by area in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arles | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 52,515 | 759 | 69 | 17th |
| 2 | Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 2,457 | 375 | 7 | 21st |
| 3 | Marseille | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 892,391 | 241 | 3,709 | 28th |
| 4 | Saint-Martin-de-Crau | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 14,443 | 215 | 67 | 34th |
| 5 | Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) | 221 | 206 | 1 | 38th |
| 6 | Névache | Hautes-Alpes (05) | 381 | 192 | 2 | 42nd |
| 7 | Dévoluy | Hautes-Alpes (05) | 948 | 186 | 5 | 48th |
| 8 | Aix-en-Provence | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 152,854 | 186 | 821 | 49th |
| 9 | Tende | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 1,821 | 177 | 10 | 59th |
| 10 | Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 1,441 | 174 | 8 | 61st |
Most densely populated towns in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Cannet | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 42,297 | 7.7 | 5,486 | 123rd |
| 2 | Nice | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 360,710 | 72 | 5,015 | 140th |
| 3 | Beausoleil | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 12,055 | 2.8 | 4,321 | 179th |
| 4 | Toulon | Var (83) | 180,774 | 43 | 4,220 | 186th |
| 5 | Beaulieu-sur-Mer | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 3,909 | 1.0 | 4,115 | 191st |
| 6 | Cannes | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 75,105 | 20 | 3,828 | 210th |
| 7 | Marseille | Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | 892,391 | 241 | 3,709 | 221st |
| 8 | Saint-Laurent-du-Var | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 32,366 | 10 | 3,201 | 268th |
| 9 | Cagnes-sur-Mer | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 53,819 | 18 | 2,998 | 288th |
| 10 | Antibes | Alpes-Maritimes (06) | 78,612 | 26 | 2,969 | 293rd |
Other regions of France
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Brittany 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
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.