Metropolitan France population
Metropolitan France population stood at 66,792,845 persons in 2026, according to INSEE – Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (BDM). It is one of the indicators in the Population and demography table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1975 to 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Population and demography table
| Indicator | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | |||||||||||
| Metropolitan France | 66,792,845 | 66,578,547 | 66,379,851 | 66,165,815 | 65,846,255 | 65,505,213 | 65,269,154 | 65,096,768 | 64,844,037 | 64,639,133 | |
| Metropolitan France excluding Île-de-France | 54,198,343 | 54,029,259 | 53,872,309 | 53,702,748 | 53,465,291 | 53,187,934 | 52,997,360 | 52,834,224 | 52,630,590 | 52,464,253 |
Understanding metropolitan France population
Residents domiciled within the primary continental and European territories of the nation form the specific geographic population aggregate recorded at the start of the calendar year. This territorial headcount includes all qualifying inhabitants within the mainland boundaries, systematically excluding populations located in overseas departments or territories. This series differs from the broader national total by restricting its spatial scope to the mainland, providing a localized baseline for continental economic and infrastructure studies.
Interpreting this regional measure requires awareness of administrative boundary updates and migration tracking revisions that can create non-demographic breaks in the series. Seasonal adjustments are not required because the data is sampled as an annual stock. Analysts should evaluate year-on-year changes with caution, ensuring they understand that mainland growth rates may diverge significantly from overseas territories included in the wider national statistics.
Frequently asked questions
- Which geographic areas are included in this continental population count?
- The measure covers the European mainland territories of the nation, excluding overseas possessions.
- Are overseas departments part of this specific territorial series?
- No, overseas departments and territories are excluded from this mainland geographic definition.
- How does this series differ from the total national population?
- It omits overseas populations, focusing exclusively on the European mainland territory.