Demography of the department of the Ardennes

The Ardennes are a department with weak density of population. Indeed one counts 290.000 inhabitants approximately at the time of the last census (1999). The chief town is Charleville-Mézières (55 000 inhabitants will intra muros , and nearly 76.000 inhabitants in agglomeration), which is a relatively young conglomerate (1966) several cities (Charleville, Mézières, Mohon, Montcy Saint-Pierre, Theux incorporated already as a preliminary in Mézières, Étion). Sedan is the second city of the department with close 21.000 inhabitants (nearly 33.000 inhabitants in agglomeration), Rethel remains the third agglomeration with nearly 11.000 inhabitants (a little more than 9.000 inhabitants in intramurally). Revin (approximately 10.000 inhabitants), Givet (8 000 inhabitants), Nouzonville (8 000 inhabitants) Vouziers (5 000 inhabitants), Fumay (5 000 inhabitants) forms the other agglomerations of the department. Demography is symbolized by a south of the desert department (only two agglomerations: Rethel and Vouziers), and by a north of the department much more populated (Charleville-Mézières and Sedan). The main thing of the population concentrates on banks of the Meuse.

The of the Ardennes population is characterized by a birth rate higher than the national average, that is to say a natural balance of more than 1.000 birth per annum, but also by a demographic deficit of more than 1.000 inhabitants per annum. The population is thus growing old, the young people preferring to leave for economic reasons. Thus the department has a honourable number of young people from 0 to 20 years, but a contrario of few young people from 20 to 30 years, this bleeding is without doubts due to the lack of employment (in particular in the industrial field and tertiary) and to the weakness of university fabric in the department.

The of the Ardennes population is marked by a strong share of activity in the Industrie (nearly a quarter of the Active population), like by a big part in the Agriculture. The two only urban poles are Charleville-Mézières and Sedan which gather alone nearly a third of the of the Ardennes population.

The valley of the Meuse is still at present an important area of the department from its industrial importance, and its population.

See too

Demography of Champagne-Ardenne

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