AQUITAINE - Population
In Aquitaine the total population was of 2 908 300 inhabitants in 1999. The population density of 70 inhabitants/km2 is under the national average.
The population is concentrated around three urban centres: Bordeaux, Pau and Bayonne. Bordeaux with 215 000 inhabitants is the ninth biggest city in France while the urban area of Bordeaux is the seventh most important with 754 000 inhabitants.
Between 1990 and 1990 the population grew by 4%; Aquitaine is one of the most dynamic region in terms of demography. This growth is due to the fact that the number of births is slightly higher than the number of deaths and to an important positive migration balance. The arrival of 385 000 relatively young new immigrants has allowed to reduce the ageing of the population.
In 1999 the gross birth rate was under the national average: 10.8 births per 1 000 inhabitants. The number of births has decreased from 1980 to 1993 and experienced an increase since 1994. In 2000 the number of births was 33 098.
With 10.5 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants Aquitaine is over the national average, however the infant mortality (3.9 deaths of children under 1 year old per 1000 live births) is under the national average (4.4 deaths of children under 1 year old per 1000 live births). The arrival of persons of retirement age in Aquitaine is reflected in the growing number of over-65s in the region (558 300 in 2000), even though this is not a new phenomenon. It is then hardly surprising that the mortality rate is high.
In 1999, the foreign population accounted for 3.7% of the total population and is mainly composed of people coming from countries outside of the European Union (56.9%).
|
|