Number of people living in Paris, France 2021, by gender

As of January 2021, there were more than 2.1 million people living in the city of Paris. Considered to be the heart of France’s economic and political life, Paris is also part of the most populous region in the country. The Ile-de-France region, which can also be called Paris area, has 12.3 million inhabitants, six times the number of citizens living in the French capital.

Being a Parisian

Paris is the largest city in France, and as in a very centralized country, it is where the majority of big companies and all the national administrations are located. Therefore, it attracts at lot of people coming from all across the country in order to work and study in the French capital. The city has a lot to offer and people from Paris can enjoy a variety cultural events like nowhere else in France. But if worldwide, Paris is known for its architecture and museums, the city also has disadvantages for Parisians. Thus, they spend sometimes more than one hour in public transports, and air pollution is becoming a rampant issue in the city of Lights these past years.

An exceptionally dense region

Paris area is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe. In 2020, there were 1,022 residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France, compared to 115 residents in the second most populated French region: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The region also welcomes millions of tourists every year, which have a direct impact on the housing market in a city that does not have a lot of available space. In 2015, with 16.12 overnight stays per capita, Paris occupied the first place of the cities with the highest tourist density in Europe.