PICARDY - Population
In 1999 Picardy had 1 857 500 inhabitants ranking the region 12th on the metropolitan scale. It is the home of 3.1% of the population of France. Oise is the most populated of the three départements, with 41% of the population, and Aisne (29%) and Somme (30%) housing almost equally the rest.
The population density in Picardy is low compared with the neighbouring regions of Île-de-France and Nord-Pas-de-Calais. With a population density of 95.9 inhabitants/km2 Picardy is the 13th most densely populated region of France. Generally speaking, the urban structure of Picardy appears weak compared with the total regional population. In the three departments the population is fairly dispersed. The region has thirteen urban areas of more than 200 000 inhabitants, but the first among them, Amiens, is only in 35th place in the ranking of the conurbations of metropolitan France. The three biggest conurbations are Amiens, Creil and Compiègne; they account respectively for 8.7%, 5.2% and 3.8% of the population of Picardy. The rather small size of the towns is related to that of their suburbs: only 14% of the region's inhabitants live in suburban areas, compared to 27% of inhabitants in other regions (excluding Ile-de-France). This fact is true for all three departments, even if the proximity of Ile-de-France is apparent in the high urban concentration in the south of Oise and in the south of Aisne.
Between 1990 and 1999 the population grew at a slower rate than it did for France as a whole: 0.28% annual average per year against 0.39%. Its demographic growth is similar to most of the regions in the northern half of France. The population is growing due to a natural demographic balance that is higher than the national average, and which compensates for the migration deficit. Over period 1990 to 1999 the natural balance grew on average by 0.44% per year, whereas the migration balance decreased by 0.16% per year.
The départements Aisne and Somme have registered since a long time now a migration deficit, with many young people leaving these départements when they start higher education or when they are about to enter working life. On the other hand the département Oise had until the nineties a strong migration surplus, mainly due to the arrival of young couples from the region of the capital, Ile-de-France, who as a rule continued to work there. During the 1990s the trend was inverted and Oise now also has a migration deficit.
The natural balance is due to a stronger birth rate over deaths. In 1999 the fertility rate was 194 children for 100 women in Picardy compared to 179 on average. In 1999 the gross birth rate was one of the highest in France, with 13.1 births per 1 000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 12.1. In 1999 the number of live births (25 100) fell by 1 000 compared to 1990. In 2000 the number of births was 25 700 (+2.4% compared to 1999).
With 9.1 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants the rate for Picardy is the same as the national average. The infant mortality rate is the highest in France (5.6 deaths of children under 1 year old per 1 000 live births).
With 33% of its population aged under 25 in 1999, the population of Picardy is the second youngest of France, after its neighbouring region, Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The number of its inhabitants aged 60 and over is also one of the lowest (19.1%); 2 percentage points lower than the national average.
In 1999 the foreign population accounted for 3.4% of the total population of Picardy. This is below the national average (5.5%). The foreign population is mainly composed of nationals coming from countries outside the European Union (62%). Moroccan nationals represent for 23% of the foreign population.
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