According to INSEE, Loire-Atlantique has 1,445,171 inhabitants. This census released this Thursday with figures fixed for 2020 shows that the department remains more than ever the engine of population growth in the Pays de la Loire. Between 2014 and 2020, the population of Loire-Atlantique increased to an annual rate of 1.2%. This growth remains very dynamic, albeit slightly down on the 2009-2014 period (1.3%). The department has gained 97,440 inhabitants in six years, the equivalent of the communes of Saint-Nazaire and Vertou! In France, the Loire-Atlantique is a fourth grade of departments with the strongest population growth, behind Haute-Garonne, Hérault and Gironde.
320,000 inhabitants in Nantes
Unsurprisingly, this population growth is concentrated and accelerating the metropolitan area of Nantes with 672,420 inhabitants. The population increases by 8,865 inhabitants per year between 2014 and 2020, almost half of them settle in the commune of Nantes, now populated by 320,732 inhabitants. The city of Saint-Herblain, which is flirting with the bar of 50,000 inhabitants , is at a rate of 800 more inhabitants each year, almost 600 more in Rezé and more than 400 in Vertou and Couëron.
La Baule regains inhabitants
On the coast, the larger population adds to the concern Saint-Nazaire and Pornic which now have 71,887 and 16,886 inhabitants. The city of construction sites has an annual rhythm of more than 400 new inhabitants a year. Further north, the municipality of La Baule sees its demographic curve start to rise again. While it lost 140 inhabitants a year in the period 2009-2014, the trend has since reversed in almost equivalent proportions. By the sea, two seaside resorts are in trouble: Le Pouliguen continues to lose inhabitants, it is the commune of the Loire-Atlantique which has recorded the sharpest drop in the last six years (-1.8% per year). Batz-sur-Mer has also seen its population decrease, but to a lesser extent.
The north of the Loire-Atlantique remains the least dynamic sector in terms of population growth. Between 2014 and 2020 Châteaubriant manages to stabilize its population, in Derval the growth is zero in this period, it decreases in Juigné-les-Moutiers, Ruffigné and La Chapelle-Glain. The village of Sion-les-Mines has gained only six inhabitants in six years.
Loire-Atlantique is the most populous department of the Pays de la Loire ahead of Maine-et-Loire and the Vendée
. The region had 3,832,120 inhabitants as of January 1, 2020.
The 15 most populated cities of the Loire-Atlantique
- Nantes: 320,732 inhabitants
- Saint-Nazaire: 71,887
- Saint-Herblain: 49,067
- Reze: 42.993
- San Sebastian: 27,958
- Orvault: 27,438
- Vertou: 25,879
- Couerons: 22,680
- Carquefou: 20,463
- Bouguenais: 20,450
- La Chapelle-sur-Erdre: 19,981
- Pornico: 16,886
- La Baulé-Escoublac: 16,160
- Guerande: 16,042
- Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire: 15,417
