ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data

Brest

Average high temperatures were 9.7°C in January and 20.8°C in July. The population of Brest, in France, was 139,619 at the start of 2024. The city covered 49.2 km² in 2024. Population density was 2,847.8 people per km² in 2022. The unemployment rate was 13.6% at the end of 2022.

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Higher unemployment than 73% of French cities that publish it and cleaner air than 67% of French cities that publish it.

Foreign residents8,998 peoplecity · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1
Population142,346 peoplemunicipality · Verified 2026-07-14Official source · France official denominator source
NO₂ — latest reading18.8 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata.
Gigabit broadband availability98.92 %city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage.
Unemployment rate13.6267 %city · Verified 2026-07-26Official source · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune
NO₂ — annual mean13.0656 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-07-31

Who Brest may suit

Relative profile scores use comparable published values. They are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–75% from published values
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–73% from published values
Student58%strong on cost, weak on healthcare · range 45–71% from published values
Family50%strong on family, weak on cost · range 37–63% from published values
Retirement54%strong on healthcare, weak on admin · range 41–67% from published values

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Brest residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport93.7%Foreign residents 6.3%

Derived from the published population and foreign-resident counts.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
City area49.2 km22026-06-302024Official sourceFrance city identity collection Source-backed value · place
Foreign residents8,998 people2026-07-152021Official sourceNationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Source-backed value
Population density2,847.7681 people/km²2026-07-142022Official sourceA-ccepted source for city area and derived population density Source-backed value · place
Population142,346 people2026-07-14AgingOfficial sourceFrance official denominator source Source-backed value
Foreign residents over time14 published observations, 2009–2022
Foreign residents in Brest by year, residents4,9646,6828,39910,117200920112013201520172019202120229,762residents

Foreign residents rose 70.1% between 2009 and 2022, from 5,739 to 9,762.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Cost of living

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Brest recurring monthly costs, € per month€604Private kindergarten€161Utilities, 85 m² flat€139Fitness club€42Transport pass€30Internet, 60 Mbps€25Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Published city cost observations. Some items come from the supplemental estimate lane and are not official statistics.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Fitness club membership, monthly139.3169 EUR/month2026-07-272022Supplemental estimateGlobal Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited29.8523 EUR/month2026-07-272022Supplemental estimateGlobal Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly603.7223 EUR/month2026-07-272022Supplemental estimateGlobal Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant12.9382 EUR2026-07-272022Supplemental estimateGlobal Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB24.83 EUR/month2026-07-27FreshCommercial estimateCost of Living in Brest. Jun 2026. Prices in Brest Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass41.7988 EUR/month2026-07-272022Supplemental estimateGlobal Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home160.7546 EUR/month2026-07-272022Supplemental estimateGlobal Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Supplemental context

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in FranceWhere Brest lands among 1970 measured cities
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in France per band140–58585–1069610–15Brest 13.6%30615–208020–251425–30230–35unemployment rate, % · measured cities in France per band

Published unemployment rates for cities in the same country.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Gigabit broadband availability98.92 %2026-07-15FreshOfficial sourceIndependent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage. Source-backed value
Unemployment rate13.6267 %country median 10.5% — 29% above2026-07-262022Official sourceINSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune Source-backed value
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2013–2022
Unemployment rate in Brest by year, %13.3%15.0%16.7%18.3%20132015201720192021202213.6%%

Unemployment rate fell 19.5% between 2013 and 2022, from 16.9% to 13.6%.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Climate and air quality

Monthly precipitation was 142.6 mm in January and 70.7 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 7.95 µg/m³ in 2024.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Brest average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND21°4°Daytime highNight-time low

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Brest average monthly precipitation, mm0408012016014311982927565717579129147155JFMAMJJASONDmm

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Brest average monthly sunshine, hours05010015020061821221651871841801721581097261JFMAMJJASONDhours

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Brest annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5257.9PM2.5154014.8PM10104013.1NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in FranceWhere Brest lands among 1870 measured cities
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in France per band23–494–5375–61476–74547–8Brest 7.95988–94329–1015710–112611–12412–13413–14annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in France per band

Published annual means from the same national measurement network.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
NO₂ — annual mean13.0656 µg/m³country median 14.8 — 12% below2026-07-152024Official source2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation. Source-backed value
NO₂ — latest reading18.8 µg/m³2026-07-15FreshOfficial sourceLatest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata. Source-backed value
PM10 — annual mean14.8114 µg/m³country median 14.3 — 4% above2026-07-152024Official source2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation. Source-backed value
PM2.5 — annual mean7.947 µg/m³country median 8.5 — 6% below2026-07-152024Official source2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation. Source-backed value
Average daytime high by monthJan 9.7 · Feb 10 · Mar 11.9 · Apr 13.9 · May 16.8 · Jun 19.1 · Jul 20.8 · Aug 20.9 · Sep 19.3 · Oct 16 · Nov 12.5 · Dec 10.3 °C2026-07-272020Official sourceMétéo-France climate normal — mean monthly maximum air temperature, BREST-GUIPAVAS, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Average night-time low by monthJan 4.6 · Feb 4.3 · Mar 5.4 · Apr 6.3 · May 8.9 · Jun 11.4 · Jul 13.1 · Aug 13.2 · Sep 11.5 · Oct 9.6 · Nov 7 · Dec 5 °C2026-07-272020Official sourceMétéo-France climate normal — mean monthly minimum air temperature, BREST-GUIPAVAS, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Average temperature by monthJan 7.1 · Feb 7.1 · Mar 8.6 · Apr 10.1 · May 12.8 · Jun 15.3 · Jul 17 · Aug 17.1 · Sep 15.4 · Oct 12.8 · Nov 9.8 · Dec 7.7 °C2026-07-311991Official sourceWMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BREST-GUIPAVAS Source-backed value · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 142.6 · Feb 118.7 · Mar 82.2 · Apr 91.8 · May 74.6 · Jun 64.6 · Jul 70.7 · Aug 75.3 · Sep 78.6 · Oct 129.4 · Nov 146.7 · Dec 154.6 mm2026-07-272020Official sourceMétéo-France climate normal — mean monthly precipitation, BREST-GUIPAVAS, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Average sunshine by monthJan 61.15 · Feb 81.733 · Mar 122.217 · Apr 165.417 · May 187.483 · Jun 183.9 · Jul 180.1 · Aug 171.8 · Sep 158.35 · Oct 109 · Nov 72.25 · Dec 61.167 hours2026-07-272020Official sourceMétéo-France climate normal — mean monthly sunshine duration, BREST-GUIPAVAS, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Annual PM2.5 over time12 published observations, 2013–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Brest by year, µg/m³5.48.110.913.620132015201720192021202320247.9µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 20.5% between 2013 and 2024, from 10.0 to 7.9.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Worked out from these numbers

Arithmetic on the published values above. Each one names what it assumed.

How international is the population?

6.3% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 8,998 people of 142,346 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Brest?

The unemployment rate is 13.6267 %. Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune, checked 2026-07-26.

Is the air quality good in Brest?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.947 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation., checked 2026-07-15.

How many people live in Brest?

The published population is 142,346 people. Source: France official denominator source, checked 2026-07-14.

How many foreign residents live in Brest?

8,998 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1, checked 2026-07-15.

How much is public transport in Brest?

A monthly transport pass is 41.7988 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2, checked 2026-07-27.

Cities of a similar size in France

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All France cities
Tours139,259 residentsLe Mans146,249 residentsClermont-Ferrand146,351 residentsAmiens136,449 residentsSaint-Denis149,077 residentsAix-en-Provence149,695 residents

Sources

Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1Official source · Checked 2026-07-15France official denominator sourceOfficial source · Checked 2026-07-14Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage.Official source · Checked 2026-03-31INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, communeOfficial source · Checked 2026-07-262024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.