A few days ago, INSEE published the 2022 legal populations which came into force on January 1, 2025. These figures are important for municipalities since they make it possible to determine the amount of the overall operating allocation allocated by the State. depending on the number of inhabitants.
Between 2016 and 2022, the Pyrénées-Orientales will gain more than 18,000 inhabitants, an average annual increase of 0.6%, for a total of nearly 492,964 residents* as of January 1, 2022.
This growth, a little lower than the regional average (+ 0.8%), places the Pyrénées-Orientales in 4th position among the regions' departments, behind Haute-Garonne, Hérault and Gard. It is due exclusively to the migratory balance (difference between departures and arrivals in the department) which amounts to + 0.9% in average annual growth, the natural balance (difference between births and deaths) being slightly negative at – 0.3 %.
Find out, in the map of the Pyrénées-Orientales below, if your municipality has gained or lost inhabitants between 2016 and 2022.
Saint-Cyprien, now the 3rd town in the department
Perpignan remains the leading city in the Pyrénées-Orientales, seeing its population stagnate between January 1, 2016 and January 1, 2022. In five years, Catalonia has 0.72% fewer inhabitants per year, or 120,996 on January 1, 2022.
Canet-en-Roussillon remains the 2nd most populated municipality in the department and crosses the threshold of 13,000 residents. Saint-Cyprien, with 11,995 inhabitants, steals 3rd place on the podium of the most populated towns from Saint-Estève which has 11,673 inhabitants.
The largest demographic increase is observed in Joch where the population increased by more than 50% in 5 years, from 263 to 396. In contrast, it is in Glorianes that the population decreased the most between January 1, 2016. and January 1, 2022: – 36%, from 25 to 16 souls.
