What is missing in Toulouse to become the 3rd city in France instead of Lyon?
While the population of Toulouse is increasing faster than that of Lyon, the Pink City could become the third largest city in France in fifteen years if it keeps the same pace.
What if the capital of Les Gaulles gave way to the Pink City to become the 3rd city in France? According to The Midi Dispatch, Toulouse has only 30,000 fewer inhabitants than Lyon (Rhône).
The latest figures date from 2019 and list 493,465 inhabitants, compared to 522,969 Lyonnais. But since 2013, the Toulouse population has been growing by 1.2% per year. If we keep the same pace, the capital of Haute-Garonne could pass in front of it in fifteen years.
“The population of Toulouse has expanded faster than that of Lyon in recent years, thanks to its geographical spread and its larger land reserves”, a statement Caroline Jamet, regional director of Insee Occitanie, in the columns from La Dépêche du Midi.
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Haute-Garonne and Occitania are progressing quickly
In 2022, INSEE estimates that more than 6 million people live in Occitanie, which is now in 4th place among the regions of France, overtaking Hauts de France. To be on the podium for Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Occitania would gain around 41,000 inhabitants per year.
The Haute-Garonne contributes to this, with an estimate of 1.4 million inhabitants in 2022. The department has the highest demographic increase in France with the Gironde, of the order of +1.3% per year. We note that the Haute-Garonne is in natural surplus with more births than deaths and in migratory surplus (more arrivals than departures).