Demographic trends in the Greater Paris - Grand Paris Metropolis - 2026

The greatest increase was seen in areas of Seine-Saint-Denis, particularly Est Ensemble, Grand Paris Grand Est and Paris Terre d'Envol where the population rose twice as fast as the regional average. Boucle Nord de Seine, located north of Hauts-de-Seine and to a lesser degree, areas south and south-east of Paris, such as Grand-Orly Seine and Grand Paris Sud Est Avenir, also contributed to the demographic dynamism of the metropolis.

This dynamic is exclusively linked to the rate of natural increase, even though this decreased slightly during the period. The higher number of births than deaths contributed to an average +0.8% increase of the population each year throughout Grand Paris Metropolis, that is nearly eight times higher than in Mainland France (+0.1%). However, the level of migration remained in deficit (-0.6% per year).

Apart from demographic factors, the growth of the population was also the result of factors linked to the housing stock and its occupation. In the metropolis of Grand Paris, the number of main residences (housing occupied at least six months of the year) rose, but at a slower rate than the total number of housing units (+173,100 units between 2016 and 2022 compared with only +107,200 main residences). At the same time, the average number of people per occupied housing unit dropped from 2.19 in 2016 to 2.15 in 2022, in conjunction with the drop in the birth rate and the ageing population. These two factors contributed to the slowing down of demographic growth observed over this period.

In Paris, the correlation is particularly strong between the rise in the population and changes in the main residency housing stock. The increase in unoccupied housing which groups together second homes, occasional accommodation and vacant housing has had a declining impact on the population. The more recent decrease in the average size of households, has also played an increasingly important role in the fall of the population over the past years. On 1st January 2023, the population of Paris was 2,103,778, an average drop of 14,000 fewer inhabitants per year over the 2017-2023 period. The population declined in all districts except the 14th where there was a moderate increase.