Smallest Town in France: The 2026 Ranking

The smallest town in France depends on how you measure it: by number of inhabitants or by area. Here are both rankings.

By population, the smallest inhabited commune in France is Rochefourchat (Drôme), with 2 inhabitants. France has 3,277 communes with fewer than 100 inhabitants.

By area, the smallest commune in France is Castelmoron-d'Albret (Gironde), with just 0.04 km², only a few hectares: less than the Place de l'Étoile in Paris.

Six communes in the Meuse department no longer have a single inhabitant: destroyed during the Battle of Verdun in 1916, they were never rebuilt and are preserved as communes that "died for France" (mortes pour la France): Beaumont-en-Verdunois, Bezonvaux, Cumières-le-Mort-Homme, Fleury-devant-Douaumont, Haumont-près-Samogneux, Louvemont-Côte-du-Poivre.

The 30 Least Populated Inhabited Communes in France

#	Town	Department	Population	km²	per km²	France rank
1	Rochefourchat	Drôme (26)	2	13	0	34,851^st
2	Leménil-Mitry	Meurthe-et-Moselle (54)	2	3.4	1	34,852^nd
3	Caubous	Haute-Garonne (31)	3	3.8	1	34,850^th
4	Majastres	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	5	30	0	34,847^th
5	Rouvroy-Ripont	Marne (51)	5	12	0	34,848^th
6	Maroncourt	Vosges (88)	5	2.2	2	34,849^th
7	Fontanès-de-Sault	Aude (11)	6	5.3	1	34,845^th
8	La Bâtie-des-Fonds	Drôme (26)	6	12	1	34,846^th
9	Saint-Martin-lès-Seyne	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	7	12	1	34,841^st
10	La Haute-Beaume	Hautes-Alpes (05)	7	7.1	1	34,842^nd
11	Charmes-en-l'Angle	Haute-Marne (52)	7	7.4	1	34,843^rd
12	Épécamps	Somme (80)	7	1.6	4	34,844^th
13	Aulan	Drôme (26)	8	11	1	34,839^th
14	Vérignon	Var (83)	8	37	0	34,840^th
15	Châteauvieux-les-Fossés	Doubs (25)	9	4.5	2	34,833^rd
16	Cirès	Haute-Garonne (31)	9	5.1	2	34,834^th
17	Trébons-de-Luchon	Haute-Garonne (31)	9	0.8	11	34,835^th
18	Mérona	Jura (39)	9	3.0	3	34,836^th
19	Ornes	Meuse (55)	9	19	0	34,837^th
20	Méréaucourt	Somme (80)	9	3.0	3	34,838^th
21	Pommerol	Drôme (26)	10	9.8	1	34,830^th
22	Baren	Haute-Garonne (31)	10	3.1	3	34,831^st
23	Érone	Haute-Corse (2B)	10	3.9	3	34,832^nd
24	Nossage-et-Bénévent	Hautes-Alpes (05)	11	4.3	3	34,825^th
25	Lercoul	Ariège (09)	11	19	1	34,826^th
26	Caunette-sur-Lauquet	Aude (11)	11	5.0	2	34,827^th
27	Turquestein-Blancrupt	Moselle (57)	11	30	0	34,828^th
28	Ourdon	Hautes-Pyrénées (65)	11	2.7	4	34,829^th
29	Orret	Côte-d'Or (21)	12	11	1	34,819^th
30	Aingoulaincourt	Haute-Marne (52)	12	5.1	2	34,820^th

The 20 Smallest Communes in France by Area

#	Town	Department	Population	km²	per km²	France rank
1	Castelmoron-d'Albret	Gironde (33)	51	0.0	1,275	34,858^th
2	Vaudherland	Val-d'Oise (95)	105	0.1	1,167	34,857^th
3	Lannoy	Nord (59)	1,820	0.2	10,111	34,856^th
4	Mallièvre	Vendée (85)	260	0.2	1,300	34,855^th
5	La Ferrière-sur-Risle	Eure (27)	194	0.2	808	34,854^th
6	Sainte-Marie	Hautes-Pyrénées (65)	58	0.3	207	34,853^rd
7	Bourg-le-Roi	Sarthe (72)	335	0.4	931	34,852^nd
8	Mont-Louis	Pyrénées-Orientales (66)	154	0.4	395	34,851^st
9	Le Catelet	Aisne (02)	192	0.4	468	34,850^th
10	Riverie	Rhône (69)	298	0.4	710	34,849^th
11	La Roche-Bernard	Morbihan (56)	762	0.4	1,772	34,848^th
12	Moncontour	Côtes-d'Armor (22)	754	0.5	1,571	34,847^th
13	Sainte-Foy-la-Grande	Gironde (33)	2,518	0.5	4,937	34,846^th
14	Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône	Ain (01)	1,825	0.5	3,443	34,842^nd
15	Monpazier	Dordogne (24)	447	0.5	843	34,843^rd
16	Sassis	Hautes-Pyrénées (65)	74	0.5	140	34,844^th
17	Thuy	Hautes-Pyrénées (65)	19	0.5	36	34,845^th
18	Vieux-Port	Eure (27)	49	0.6	86	34,840^th
19	Bécherel	Ille-et-Vilaine (35)	693	0.6	1,216	34,841^st
20	Mont-Dauphin	Hautes-Alpes (05)	166	0.6	286	34,837^th

Other Rankings

Largest cities (population) Largest communes by area Most densely populated towns Number of communes Departments Regions

Sources: INSEE, official population figures in force on January 1, 2026 (total population); areas: IGN / Observatoire des territoires.