INSEE has just published the latest population figures in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, those of the 2019 census. We are 2,805,580 inhabitants, 2,227 fewer in one year. The Côte-d’Or and the Doubs are the only departments to gain some.
2,805,580 inhabitants in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
The decline began in 2013, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. We were 2,819,783 that year and 2,802,519 in 2008. From 2008 to 2013, the increase was 0.1% on average each year. Since, we register a decrease of 0.1%, while the national population is still increasing, + 0.4%, or 65,096,768 inhabitants in France. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté represents 4.3% of the French population.
There are two reasons for this decline. Aging first or natural balance. There have been more deaths than births in the region since 2015. Same thing for net migration. There have been more departures than installations in the region over the past 10 years.
The Côte-d’Or and the Doubs gain inhabitants
The most populous department of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté remains Saône-et-Loire, with 551,493 inhabitants (-0.1% per year on average). Come next the only two whose population is progressing a little, the Côte-d’Or (534,124 inhabitants) and the Doubs (543,974), thanks to a younger population. Then Yonne (335,707), in decline for 10 years, Jura (259,199), Haute-Saône (235,313), Nièvre (204,452) and Territoire-de-Belfort (141,318).
INSEE stresses that Nièvre is, with Martinique, the department which has experienced the greatest population decline recorded for 50 years. It has increased in recent years with 10,769 inhabitants lost in 6 years.
Cities attract more
Unsurprisingly, we find newcomers above all in the big cities.
The most dynamic in the region is Dijon which reaches 158,002 inhabitants. Municipalities in its metropolis such as Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur and Talant have gained several hundred over the past 6 years.
Besançon, for its part, is approaching 118,000 inhabitants.
The other winning cities are located on the border with more attractive neighboring regions. This is the case with Sens thanks to its proximity to Ile-de-France, Mâcon, on the edge of Rhône-Alpes, or Pontarlier with its cross-border workers working in Switzerland.
Conversely, Saint-Claude, Cosne-sur-Loire, Belfort, Audincourt or Beaune show the strongest drops. They are weakened either by their isolation or by their economic situation. Other phenomena can explain this lack of interest, such as in Beaune, where the increase in the number of tourist accommodation rented on platforms is slowing the installation of new inhabitants, according to real estate agents.
What du Covid?
These figures come from the 2019 census. They do not make it possible to assess the impact of confinements and teleworking on housing purchases.
We will have to wait for the next INSEE study to verify the consequences of a possible “urban exodus” on the population of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.
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