With the election of the presidents of the regions that have merged and thus changed their scope, the process of regional elections can be considered complete. The regional councils will remain in charge until 2020. The next meeting will be in 6 years.
On this occasion, the French were called to elect their councilors in the 13 new metropolitan regions, as well as in Guadeloupe and Réunion. In total, 1,757 councilors will be designated for six years. These elections are conducted by direct universal suffrage (all citizens over 18 can vote) as opposed to “indirect,” where representatives vote afterwards.
In 2012, the state decided to reduce the number of regions, particularly to achieve savings and strengthen their demographic and economic weight in Europe. As of January 1, the metropolitan territory now has only 13 regions, down from 22 since the redistricting of 1972.
With decentralization, regions are the local authorities with the most competencies: high schools, vocational training, transportation (bus, train…), territorial planning (telecommunications…), business creation assistance, environmental protection…
1 – What is the largest new region?
Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes, with 84,000 km2, or 15% of the metropolitan territory. This is equivalent to the size of Austria or twice that of Switzerland! It is home to 5.9 million inhabitants, or 70 inhabitants/km2, a low density. The smallest metropolitan region is Corsica, with 9,000 km2. On the continent, it is Île-de-France, with 12,000 km2.
2 – the most populous?
Île-de-France, with 12 million inhabitants, or about 1 in 5 of the country’s population. This is equivalent to the population of Belgium. It is also the densest region in the territory: 1,000 inhabitants/km2, 27 times more than Corsica, the least dense region (36 inhabitants/km2) and the least populated (320,000 inhabitants). However, Corsica has been the most attractive region in the country over the past 10 years, with 50,000 new inhabitants. This represents 16% of its population; no region has experienced such an increase.
3 – the youngest?
Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, with 33% of inhabitants under 25 years old. However, it is in Île-de-France where the most represented age group is 20-40 years (elsewhere: 40-60 years). Aquitaine-Poitou-Charentes is the region where those over 65 are the most numerous: 21% of its population.
4 – the most educated?
Île-de-France: 35% of its adult population have a higher education degree and 47% of young people aged 18 to 24 are students, compared to 23% and 36% on average in other regions. The region with the highest high school graduation rate is Brittany: 90.7%, followed by the Pays de la Loire: 90.6% (87% on average in France).
5 – the most economically powerful?
Île-de-France: it generates about 620 billion euros per year, or around 30% of the country’s GDP. 29 of the 31 largest French companies have their headquarters there. It is the region with the most exports and imports: 18% of French exports and 26% of imports. It is the most powerful European region (4% of the EU’s GDP) and the third worldwide, after the Tokyo and New York regions. In France, it is followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (243 billion euros) and Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes (158 billion euros). Corsica is the region with the lowest GDP (9 billion euros).
6 – the most active?
Île-de-France is the region providing the most jobs: about 6 million, in 843,000 companies. That’s more than 1 in 4 jobs in France. Its unemployment rate is the lowest: 8.8%, as in Brittany, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, in the Pays de la Loire. Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie has the highest unemployment rate: 12.5% (and the highest poverty rate: 18%, compared to 14% on average).
7 – the most advanced?
It depends on the criteria. The Brittany region has about 1,600 companies and 40,000 jobs in ICT (mobile TV, medical imaging…) as well as two research hubs. In the Pays de la Loire region, Angers hosts thousands of electronics and digital companies. Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées has the highest R&D rate: nearly 4% of its budget is devoted to it (Île-de-France: 3%, French average: 2.2%).
8 – the most indebted?
Île-de-France: its debt represents 141% of its revenues. Next are Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (111%) and Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie (107%). Normandy has the lowest debt rate: 41%.
