BOURGOGNE - Population
Stable population
The population of Burgundy remained stable during the 1990s. In 1999, there were 1 610 000 inhabitants. During the last decade, the natural surplus was strongly reduced compared to the previous periods. The migratory balance remains slightly negative.
This decrease is mainly due to a substantial decrease of the number of births (-7.2% in 1999 compared to 1990). In 1999, the crude birth rate in Burgundy was lower than the national average with 11.2 births per 1 000 inhabitants. On the other side, the crude death rate was the third highest in France with 11.1 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants. The new immigrants are mainly retired persons while a lot of young people are leaving the region in order to begin their working life.
The Côte d?Or and Yonne are gaining inhabitants. The first - relatively younger than the rest of the country and mainly due to the University of Dijon, which has 22 000 students- has a surplus natural balance, the second benefits from favourable migratory movements. On the other hand, the population has decreased in Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire over the nineties. During the same decade, the population of Burgundy aged. The under 25s represent 29% of the population. Conversely, 25% of the population is 60 years old or more as a result of increased life expectancy. In 1999, 61% of the population lived in an urban area, while the French average is of 77%.
The cities of Burgundy are of modest size. The greatest agglomeration of the region, Dijon, is the twenty-sixth in France and the second, Chalon-sur-Saône, is the 70th. The most populated area is in the east, along the axis Dijon-Beaune-Chalon-sur-Saône-Mâcon, with a junction on the arc Autun-Montceau lès Mines-Le Creusot. A great part of the economic activities concentrated here. The valley of Yonne, with Sens and Auxerre, which profits from the vicinity of Île-de-France, and Val de Loire, with Nevers, constitute the two other large axes of settlement and activity.
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