The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) published this Thursday, December 19, 2024, the population figures which will come into force on January 1, 2025, based on the census carried out on January 1, 2022. If in the Alps- in Haute-Provence, growth continues, particularly in the main towns and around the Durance axis, in Hautes-Alpes, the situation is much more contrasted.
At the department level, the municipal population (excluding populations called “counted separately” by INSEE) gains 560 inhabitants, increasing from 141,107 in 2016 to 141,677 in 2022 (+ 0.4%). But the disparities are numerous.
Thus, the prefectural city of Gap – which is home to almost 30% of the population of Hautes-Alpes – follows the general trend of the department with very little change over the period. The capital of the Southern Alps, however, saw its municipal population drop very slightly, from 40,805 to 40,656 (-149 inhabitants, -0.4%).
Briançon loses 10% of its population in six years
Further north, the fall is much more marked for Briançon, the second city in Hautes-Alpes, which loses more than 10% of its municipal population in six years, going from 11,950 inhabitants in 2016 to 10,748 in 2022. A trend – confirmed by the loss of populations in the main municipalities bordering the highest French city, such as Saint-Chaffrey (1,504 inhabitants in 2022, -8% in six years) or even Villar-Saint-Pancrace (1,433 inhabitants, -2.6%) – which could be explained in part by an increasingly strong real estate pressure on this territory which largely lives tourism linked to ski resorts.
The department's more modest towns, however, seem to be doing well. Thus, Embrun sees its municipal population increase from 6,174 in 2016 to 6,387 in 2022 (+ 3.5%). The trend is the same for Laragne-Monteglin, whose number of inhabitants increases from 3,485 to 3,566 (+ 2.3%) and Veynes, from 3,161 to 3,244 (+ 2.6%).
