👥 The most populated cities in France

The most populated city in France is Paris, with 2,103,778 hab., ahead of Marseille (886,040 hab.) and Lyon (519,127 hab.).

What are the 10 most populated cities in France?

In order: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Lille.

What is the top 5 of most populated cities in France?

Paris (2,103,778 hab.), Marseille (886,040 hab.), Lyon (519,127 hab.), Toulouse (514,819 hab.) and Nice (357,737 hab.).

Which city is 2nd in the ranking of most populated cities in France?

Marseille, at 886,040 hab., just behind Paris (2,103,778 hab.).

Is Paris really the most populated city in France?

Yes, at 2,103,778 hab., ahead of Marseille (886,040 hab.) and Lyon (519,127 hab.).

In which département is Paris?

Paris is in département 75, in the Île-de-France region.

What is the difference between Paris and Marseille?

Paris is at 2,103,778 hab., Marseille at 886,040 hab. The table gives the same figure for all 100 places, so any two of them can be compared the same way.

Which city is 10th in the ranking of most populated cities in France?

Lille, at 238,246 hab.

How many French cities does this ranking compare?

1,131, with the top 100 listed in full in the table below.

What are the most populated cities in France in 2026?

This ranking uses the most recent official figures published as of 2026: Paris leads with 2,103,778 hab.

Is there a complete ranking of most populated cities in France?

Yes, the table below: the top 100 of 1,131, each with its département and its region, and the exact method and scope stated underneath it.

What are the biggest cities in France?

By number of inhabitants: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Lille. By surface area the order is completely different, and the largest communes are in French Guiana.

Which is the second city of France, Marseille or Lyon?

Marseille, by commune population. Lyon's urban area is the larger of the two, but it is split across many communes that are each counted separately, while Marseille's commune holds its whole city.

How many inhabitants does Paris have?

2,103,778 hab., the INSEE legal population of the commune, which is the figure this ranking sorts on.

The table below ranks the top 100 of the 1,131 cities in the dataset, each with its département, its region and the figure it is ranked on (population), so you can see not just the order but how far apart the places are. The numbers are official public data: INSEE legal populations and the IGN commune registry, with the exact method and the exact scope stated under the table rather than left to be guessed at.

The same data answers neighbouring questions too: see The densest cities in France and The largest communes in France by area, or all rankings for the full list. All of it comes from Hexagone, a free daily game that gives you five French cities and one of these statistics and asks you for the order.