Population Census

As of 31 December 2023, the Principality of Monaco had 38,367 inhabitants. Monaco’s population has grown by nearly 8,500 since 1990 and has almost doubled since 1951.

In 2023, for the first time, Monegasque nationals become the most represented in the Principality, accounting for 23.9% of the population. Conversely, the French, who accounted for almost 60% in 1962, have seen their share decline to 22.1% in 2023.

The population census carried out by Monaco Statistics (Institut Monégasque de la Statistique et des Études Économiques), enables to count and get a better understanding of the inhabitants and housing in a given area. In Monaco, this operation was carried out for the first time in 1757. Since the end of the 19th century, census surveys have been conducted regularly to measure demographic trends.

Since the first census in 1757, the Principality of Monaco has undergone several changes, particularly territorial. These events have had an impact on the size of the population over the centuries and on the frequency of censuses, which were carried out every ten years on average. 

As of 31 December 2023, the Principality of Monaco had 38,367 inhabitants. The population increased by 2.8% compared with the previous census in 2016, i.e. by more than a thousand additional residents.

The population has grown by nearly 8,500 since 1990 and has almost doubled since 1951. 

The Principality’s cramped territory has an average population density of 18,445.7 inhabitants per km².

Monaco is administratively divided into different ordered districts1, each with its own specific characteristics.

The size of the resident population differs greatly from one area to another. 

Monte-Carlo accounts for 21.6% of residents, followed by La Rousse (20.9%). Together, these districts represent more than four out of ten residents.

With just over 1,000 inhabitants, Monaco-Ville is the Principality’s least populated district (2.6%), behind Larvotto (2,192 residents, or 5.7% of the population).

The populations of the Condamine, Jardin Exotique, Fontvieille and Moneghetti districts are relatively homogeneous at around 5,000 inhabitants each (i.e. between 11.2% and 13.9% of all residents). 

The gender balance moving towards parity. Like other countries on the European continent, the population of the Principality of Monaco has been close to parity between men and women for several decades. 

Women represent 50.8% of Monaco’s resident population in 2023, i.e. 19,475 women for 18,892 men.

Since 1951, the breakdown between men and women has tended to balance out. The gender gap was 11.4 points in 1951, 5.0 points in 1990 and 1.5 points in 2023. 

The population pyramid for Monaco residents is atypical, with a high proportion of people aged between 45 and 64. 

While the structure of the population pyramid has changed little for the under-40s between 2016 and 2023, the proportion of the population aged over 50 has increased, leading to a rise in the mean age of the population through successive censuses.

The mean age of residents reaches 47.1 years in 2023. This is higher than in 2016 (46.4 years), which was itself higher than in 2008 (45.6 years). 

Did you know that Monaco has one of the highest life expectancy in the world? 

The standard of living and the healthcare system is excellent in the Principality of Monaco. It is also known that lifestyle changes can increase healthy years of life.

Most people in Monaco eat healthy Mediterranean food and they spend plenty of time relaxing outdoors. Monaco is also a very family-centric and religious country, offering many positive, stress-free moments.

Due to the small territory of the Principality, the importance of the community is extremely high, and because of this older people do not feel lost or unimportant. Even if there are various cultural differences among the residents, Monaco still offers plenty of occasions to feel engaged. So, it is more likely that older people engage in activities and can easily get around. 

In 2023, almost 15% of the population is aged 75 or over, compared with 12.6% in 2016. With an additional 2.3 points, this is the age group that has seen the biggest increase, while the population aged 45 to 54 has fallen by the same proportion (-2.4 points).

15.4% of the population is aged 16 or under in 2023, up 0.5 points compared with 2016.

The shares of residents aged 17-34 remained stable over the period. People aged 35 to 44 are slightly less represented than in 2016, as are those aged 65 to 74. On the other hand, the proportion of residents aged 55 to 64 has increased (+1.4 points).

The mean age of residents has risen by 2.2 years since 2000. In 2023, the mean age of women is 47.8, compared with 46.3 for men.

The gender gap has narrowed significantly since 2000, from 3.3 years to 1.4 years in 2023. 

There are five distinct family situations under Monegasque legislation:

• single: a person who has never been married;
• married: a person who is married to another person of the opposite gender;
• widower: a person whose spouse has died;
• divorced: a person whose marriage has been dissolved by a divorce decree or agreement, recorded in the margin of the marriage certificate and birth certificate;
• separated: a married person for whom a judgment of legal separation has been entered in the margin of the marriage certificate.

In 2023, among the 32,138 residents aged 18 or over, more than 16,000 are married and more than 10,000 are single.

The proportion of married residents over the age of majority is down 3.1 points lower than 2016, while the proportion of single residents has risen sharply from 26.3% to 31.9%. 

As a cosmopolitan city-state, Monaco is home to nearly 150 different nationalities, particularly among its working and schooling population. Monegasque nationals are the most represented among the 141 nationalities registered in 2023. 

In 2023, 141 different nationalities were represented among the Principality’s residents. The Monegasques were the most numerous, with 9,179 people, followed by the French (8,473) and Italians (7,515). The British are close to 3,000, while the Russians, Swiss and Belgians each have more than 1,000 nationals. Among Americans, Canadians, and Lebanese, more than four out of ten residents have multiple nationalities.

The Austrians, Danish and Dutch have the highest proportion of men, while the Ukrainians, Romanians and Americans have the highest proportion of women. 

Changes in the population over time are the result of various phenomena, the main ones being the natural balance (the difference between the number of births and deaths over the period) and net migration (the difference between arrivals and departures in the territory). In terms of statistics by nationality, the acquisition of Monegasque nationality (through naturalisation or marriage) may also play a role. 

In 2023, for the first time, Monegasque nationals become the most represented in the Principality, accounting for 23.9% of the population. Between 1908 and 1938, the Monegasques accounted for less than one in ten residents, and their proportion has risen steadily since then.

Conversely, the French, who accounted for almost 60% in 1962, have seen their share decline to 22.1% in 2023. The proportion of Italians, meanwhile, has remained relatively stable since 1962, and represents 19.6% of the population in 2023.

More than four out of ten residents are of a nationality other than the three mentioned above in 2023, compared with less than one in ten in 1962. 

Between the 2016 and 2023 censuses, the number of French and Italian residents fell by 814 and 657 respectively. Apart from the Monegasque nationality, it is the Russian population that has grown the most (451 additional residents, or more than 60%). The number of Ukrainians almost tripled over the period, as did the number of Cypriots and Israelis. 

Some disparities appear among the nationals of the most represented nationalities in 2023. 

Women are more represented than in the resident population (50.8%) among Monegasques, French and Russians, reaching almost 57% in the latter community. The Italian, British and Swiss populations, on the other hand, are predominantly male. 

The average age of nationals of the first four nationalities is close to the overall figure by two years (47.1 years). Residents of Russian nationality, on the other hand, are considerably younger than the resident population, while Swiss nationals are almost 8 years older on average. 

British and Russian residents are relatively more likely to be married than those of other nationalities. 

Of the people registered in Monaco in 2023, more than 5,000 are non-Monegasque nationals aged over 18 who have settled in the Principality since the previous census in 2016. The same main nationalities (French, Italian, British, Russian, and Swiss) are represented among these “new residents”. 

26.8% of foreign adults who became residents of Monaco in 2023 were French, compared with just under 20% of those who arrived in 2017. British nationals accounted for between 10% and 15% of new arrivals over the period, followed by Italians until 2022. In 2023, residents of Russian and Swiss nationality represent 9.3% and 4.7% respectively.

The proportion of men and women is balanced overall among all foreign adults arriving in Monaco between 2017 and 2023. However, this distribution varies according to nationality. 

While French adults settled in the Principality since the last census are almost equally divided between men and women, this is not the case for the Italian population, which is clearly more male (almost 58%). British and Swiss residents are also more likely to be men, although to a lesser extent. Conversely, six out of ten adult Russian nationals arriving between 2017 and 2023 are women.

The same applies to the age of new residents: while the mean age at settlement has changed little overall between 2017 and 2023 (settling at around 44), there are differences according to nationality. 

With a mean age of 38, French adults who settled after the 2016 census appear to be younger than residents of other nationalities. Swiss nationals, on the other hand, were older when they settled in the Principality, averaging around 50 years old over the period.

While the mean age of recently settled adults of French and Italian nationality is similar for both gender, women are younger among the British, Russian, and Swiss, by an average of 3 to 4 years.

However, analysing arrivals by nationality is not enough to fully reflect the evolution of a community. It is also relevant to consider the country of origin of new residents to get a more complete picture. While almost all (95.2%) of the French adults who settled in Monaco after 2016 came from France, just over half of the Italian nationals (52.1%) came from Italy. The five main countries are still represented, but their rankings vary. 

Nearly a third of foreign residents over the age of majority and settled in Monaco after 2016 came from France, the country of origin with the highest representation. Around one in eight lived in the United Kingdom before arriving in the Principality, and just over one in ten lived in Italy. 

While Russian nationality accounts for almost 8% of new arrivals between 2017 and 2023, only 3.7% of residents settled during this period come from the Russian Federation. On the other hand, Switzerland as a country of origin is more represented than Swiss nationality (7.9% and 5.0% respectively). Over 32% came from another country. 

Since the previous census in 2016, France has remained the leading nation of origin for new residents to Monaco, accounting for up to 36.6% of arrivals in 2018. Italy and the United Kingdom successively occupied second place between 2017 and 2022. In 2023, almost 15% of foreign residents over the age of majority who settled in the Principality came from the United Kingdom, compared with 6.7% from Italy, narrowly outstripped by Switzerland (6.8%). Just under 4% previously lived in Russia.

More than a third of residents are employed in Monaco. 

Surrounded by French municipalities and close to the Italian border, Monaco is a major employment centre on the Côte d’Azur. Monegasque companies and administrations employ over 60,000 people, the majority of whom live outside the Principality.

Among the working people living in Monaco, there is a wide range of professional situations: employees, self-employed, company directors, etc. Moreover, these activities may be carried out in the Principality or abroad. Only residents of Monaco of working age (18–64 years old) who were employed in the Principality in 2023 are considered here. 

The rate of salaried employment in Monaco for residents aged 18 to 64 is 36.9% in 2023, with 26.5% working in the private sector and 10.3% in the public sector. The proportion of salaried residents rises with age, peaking between the ages of 35 and 44, before declining for subsequent age groups.

For residents aged between 35 and 44, almost a third are employed in the private sector and 14.6% in the public sector, giving a salaried employment rate of 46.9%.