POPULATION

The 3 regions that make up France’s Atlantic front have a population of 8 million inhabitants, as much as Austria or Bulgaria.

At the heart is the Nantes Saint-Nazaire metropolitan area with 760 000 inhabitants, the 5th largest metropolitan area in France. 570 000 residents live in Greater Nantes.

A flourishing demography

Young, working and growing: these are the main characteristics of Nantes’ population, with 31% of inhabitants under 20 years old.

The region is the highest ranked in France in terms of activity and employment rate for the population over 18 years of age.

Nantes has recorded the 2nd fastest national demographic growth rate over the last 10 years. The “central” scenario for demographic projections for 2010 predicts a potential for 640 000 people.

An attractive city

“As a symbol of a territory’s vitality, the share of migratory balance in population growth is 37% here, which is the highest rate amongst major urban areas in France”, states the town planning agency in its 2002 territorial diagnostic.

Another sign of attraction is that alongside Lyon, Nantes is the only regional metropolitan area to balance supply and demand in the managerial employment market (source DATAR);

The average revenue per household, which was 3% up on the previous year, stood at 17 564 euros in 2004, placing Nantes above the average for European urban areas in its category.