Population of France
The population of France is a relatively homogenous country in terms of ethnical diversity. About 9/10 of the country's population is French. The official language is French and belongs to the Roman group of Indo-European languages.
The northwest of the Alsace and Lorraine regions is populated by Alsatians (1.3 mln), the western parts of the Bretagne peninsula are the home of Bretons (1 mln). In the north of France, near the Belgian border, you can find Flemish people (100k). The island of Corsica is populated by Corsicans (300k), and on the upskirts of the Pyrenees Mountains there are Basks (130k) living in the west, and Catalonians (200k) in the east. The Pyrenees' crest divides the inhabitable regions into two uneven parts and thus, the largest part of Basks and Catalonians actually live in Spain.
There are over 5 million foreigners registered in France, most of whom are immigrants from Africa or island colonies of Martinique and Indochina. In the beginning of the XIX century the population of France was the most numerous in Western Europe. In 1801 the population of France was above 28 million. Today France is on the fourth place in Europe with 53 million, after Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. The birth rate in France started falling much earlier than in other European countries, and during the crisis of the 30s the death rate actually exceeded the birth rate. In addition to the above, France suffered a considerable population loss during World War I and II.
Outward migration in France is one of the lowest among other European countries. At this time there are around 4 million foreign residents in the country and over 1.5 million naturalized persons, meaning foreign residents who obtained permanent residence status. Foreign migrant workers, predominantly Algerians, Portuguese, Spaniards, and Italians comprise about 10% of the economically active population. They are being employed in the most labor intensive sectors such as mining, construction, and other low to middle qualification level jobs at metallurgical and chemical plants, as well as in services.
There is a high level of income inequality in the country, as well as an acute housing problem. There is a high level of unemployment and among the unemployed there are many young people and women. Inflation and rising prices for goods and services leave a black mark on the French nation.
There is a high level of mobility among the population of France and over 1 million people change their domicile each year. The main directions of migration in France are from villages into the cities. Such intensive urbanization migration in France brought about the deserting of many agrarian regions and increased the contrast in the location of the French people.
The population density in France is not as high as in other capitalist countries – the average population density in France is about 100 people per square kilometer, while in Great Britain, for example, this number is 230, and in Germany – 240. The mountain regions of France, as well as the regions with less fertile soil have an even lower population density – around 20 people per square kilometer. The highest population density in France is certainly in Paris and its suburbs – around 20% of the population of France lives here. In the regions of Paris, Leon, and the north, where there is greater concentration of cities and industrial complexes, population density in France reaches 300-500 and even more people per square kilometer.
Paris, the capital of France, has a population of over 2 million people. Together with its suburbs it forms the Big Paris, home to over 10 million people. The other big cities in France are Marseille (803k), Leon (414k), Toulouse (359k), and Nice (348k).
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