Does the city of Lyon attract fewer inhabitants ? This is what emerges from the figures of INSEE demographic developments. Established at 1is January 2022 – statistical deadlines require – these data become the new benchmark for number of inhabitants per municipality for 2025.
Fewer inhabitants in Lyon over one year, the city close to leaving the French top 3
Among the figures that call attention to, that of Lyon : its reference population declines to 520 774 habitantsa little less than last year. If she stays there third city in Francebehind Paris and Marseille, it is closely followed by Toulouse, the third municipality with more than 100,000 inhabitants and the most dynamic population.
The pink city, with 511,684 inhabitants in 1is January 2022, benefits from an average annual growth rate of 1.23% over the period 2016-2022, compared to 0.16% for the capital of Gaulwhich notably suffers a negative migration balance (-0.57%): in summary, the number of people who entered the territory is lower than that of people who left.
Population: Villeurbanne, second most dynamic municipality in France
However, this dynamic does not affect the municipalities bordering Lyon. On the contrary. Villeurbannewith its 162 207 habitants au 1is January 2022, asserts itself as THE municipality with strong attractiveness. Compared to 2021 data, it has gained more than 5,000 inhabitants.
In France, it is the second municipality with the highest population increaseswith an average annual growth rate over the period 2016-2022 of 1.42%. Ahead of it, Montpellier ranks in first place (1.45%), and therefore Toulouse behind it.
Villeurbanne benefits from both a positive natural balance (0.97%) and an increasing migratory balance (0.45%). This last data improves compared to the period 2011-2016, when residents tended to leave the city more than to join it (-0.7%).
The top 5 most populated cities in the Metropolis of Lyon
- Lyon: 520,774 inhabitants (+0.2%);
- Villeurbanne: 162,207 (+1.4%);
- Vénissieux: 66,701 inhabitants (+0.3%);
- Vaulx-en-Velin: 52,448 inhabitants (+1.3%);
- Saint-Priest: 49,193 inhabitants (+1.2%).
Metropolis of Lyon: these cities which continue to attract residents
Other areas, further from the center of the Lyon Metropolis, show growth higher than that of the top 5 most populated cities:
- Sathonay-Camp reached 7,039 inhabitants, driven by a dynamic of +2.9%. It should be noted that this dynamic is tending to slow down, after growth of +6.9% over the period 2011-2016;
- Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or: 4,604 inhabitants (+2.1%);
- Cailloux-sur-Fontaines: 2,951 inhabitants (+1.9%).
- Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d’Or: 7,405 (+1.8%);
- Meyzieu: 36,437 (+1.7%).
The five cities losing the most inhabitants in the Lyon Metropolis
On the other hand, other municipalities continue to lose residents. The five which recorded the greatest decline are:
- Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d’Or (3,037 inhabitants, -0.5%);
- Feyzin (9,727 inhabitants, -0.3%);
- Saint-Genis-Laval (21,329 inhabitants, -0.2%);
- Couzon-au-Mont-d’Or (2 541 habitants, -0,1 %) ;
- Marcy-l’Etoile (3 711 habitants, -0,1 %).
The Lyon Metropolis is gaining residents
Throughout the territory of the Metropolis of Lyon (58 municipalities), the dynamic remains in the green. The reference population of the community changes to 1 433 613 habitantsor 9,500 more inhabitants than last year.
Over the period 2016-2022, its average annual variation stands at +0.6%. Thus, the Metropolis gained a little more than 52,000 inhabitants between 2016 and 2022.
At the regional level, the Rhônewhich includes the figures for the territory of the Rhone departmental council added to those of the Metropolis of Lyon, remains the most populated department of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpeswith more than 1.9 million inhabitants.
