Good news doesn't come that often! During the end-of-year celebrations, Cantal residents will have had an additional opportunity to toast: finally the demographic curve is reversing. Modestly, certainly, but the trend is there. The Insee data, published at the end of 2024, refers to the year 2022. And the institute counts 144,399 inhabitants, or 173 more than a year earlier (144,226). A figure which becomes the “legal population of the department as of January 1, 2025”. This surge, although discreet, contrasts with the trend of demographic decline observed in recent decades and opens a window of optimism. Especially since the data, on a regional scale, demonstrate a fairly clear decline in growth.
Remember that Cantal has seen its population decline regularly since the 1980s, the victim of a natural balance (births minus deaths) that is still negative at -0.7%/year on average. In 2022, this natural balance still showed a significant deficit, a direct consequence of the aging of the population. However, the migratory balance (between households which settle in the department and those which leave it) tends to improve
always more: + 0.6%/year on average. Populations seeking tranquility, quality of life and more accessible housing seem to be rediscovering the attractions of the countryside… particularly in a post-pandemic context, where teleworking has made it easier to settle in rural areas.
It remains to be hoped that this particular period will have left some lasting trends. Even if nothing is less certain(1). In any case, seeing the positive migratory balance, doing better than just compensating the negative natural balance, illustrates that Cantal remains attractive: “Certainly, this result comes from mathematical models; certainly, we are at anecdotal levels (Editor's note + 0.12%), but this remains the first time that we have recorded a positive result,” notes Bruno Faure, president of the Department. Concerted policies carried out to
encouraging the establishment of families and workers, seem to be bearing fruit. If he agrees that “this result is fragile”, the boss of the Departmental Council sees it as an encouragement to continue the collective work initiated by the Cantal attractiveness agency in the form of a mixed union in which different municipalities and intermunicipalities participate, as well as the three consular chambers.
Despite this demographic rebound, structural challenges remain present. The department remains marked by an aging population: more than 42% of residents are 60 years old or over, while those under 14 represent only 13.7%. These figures reflect an unbalanced age pyramid, requiring increased sustained efforts to attract young workers and families, and slow down the
aging. On a regional scale, the dynamics of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, where the population continued to grow in metropolitan areas such as Lyon or Clermont-Ferrand, offers a contrast. The region benefits from a positive natural balance and a strong migratory attractiveness, but Cantal remains a special case due to its geographical isolation and its low density.
(1) After a steep rise, transfer taxes have since declined significantly.
In summary
The legal population of 2025 is that recorded in 2022. That is 144,399 inhabitants. for Cantal, 173 more than a year earlier. There are 82,808 in the district of Aurillac; 36,601 in that of Saint-Flour; 24,990 in that of Mauriac.
