Urban population growth in France
France: Urban population growth was 0.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in France, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
France recorded 0.3% for urban population growth in 2025.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 65.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in France peaked at 3.0% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2024.
France ranks 168th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
- 165 North Macedonia 0.3% compare
- 166 Barbados 0.3% compare
- 167 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.3% compare
- 169 French Polynesia 0.3% compare
- 170 Greenland 0.3% compare
- 171 Curacao 0.2% compare
More climate change data for France
- Population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 68.72 million (2025)
- Urban population 54.18 million (2025)
- Urban population 78.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 23.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 24.43 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 12.2% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 28.8% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 36.7% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 49.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in France?
- Urban population growth in France was 0.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1964.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2024.
- How does France rank for urban population growth?
- France ranks 168th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.