Paris population drops as housing costs drive residents to the suburbs

France's statistics body attributes the drop in Paris's population to a shortage of rental properties, soaring housing costs and a growing desire for better quality of life outside the city. © Stéphane Portier

Paris has lost more than 136,000 residents in 11 years as high rents and a shortage of homes drive people from the French capital, new figures show. An ongoing trend since the 1950s, the population decline cannot be explained by demographic factors alone.

A report from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), published in December, shows Paris had 2,113,705 residents in January 2022, with the population falling 0.9 percent between 2021 and 2022.