French regions ranked by population in 2026
All 17 regions of France (mainland and overseas) compared: towns, population, area, density and largest city. Click a region to see its departments and the ranking of its towns.
The most populous region in France is Île-de-France (12,571,781 inhabitants), ahead of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The largest by area is Nouvelle-Aquitaine (84,006 km²).
| # | Region | Departments | Towns | Population | km² | per km² | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Île-de-France | 8 | 1,266 | 12,571,781 | 12,012 | 1,047 | Paris |
| 2 | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 12 | 4,025 | 8,373,427 | 69,706 | 120 | Lyon |
| 3 | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 12 | 4,293 | 6,288,233 | 84,006 | 75 | Bordeaux |
| 4 | Occitanie | 13 | 4,446 | 6,246,196 | 72,724 | 86 | Toulouse |
| 5 | Hauts-de-France | 5 | 3,782 | 6,081,819 | 31,802 | 191 | Lille |
| 6 | Grand Est | 10 | 5,115 | 5,664,044 | 57,441 | 99 | Strasbourg |
| 7 | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 6 | 946 | 5,293,055 | 31,400 | 169 | Marseille |
| 8 | Pays de la Loire | 5 | 1,228 | 3,997,387 | 32,076 | 125 | Nantes |
| 9 | Brittany | 4 | 1,202 | 3,537,071 | 27,202 | 130 | Rennes |
| 10 | Normandy | 5 | 2,644 | 3,415,447 | 29,907 | 114 | Le Havre |
| 11 | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 8 | 3,685 | 2,872,652 | 47,774 | 60 | Dijon |
| 12 | Centre-Val de Loire | 6 | 1,754 | 2,644,169 | 39,151 | 68 | Tours |
| 13 | Réunion | 1 | 24 | 899,660 | 2,504 | 359 | Saint-Denis |
| 14 | Guadeloupe | 1 | 32 | 388,493 | 1,628 | 239 | Les Abymes |
| 15 | Martinique | 1 | 34 | 364,348 | 1,128 | 323 | Fort-de-France |
| 16 | Corsica | 2 | 360 | 360,270 | 8,680 | 42 | Ajaccio |
| 17 | French Guiana | 1 | 22 | 296,053 | 83,534 | 4 | Cayenne |
Sources: INSEE, official population figures in force on January 1, 2026 (total population); land area: IGN / Observatoire des territoires.