Editing Allier (section)

== Demography ==
[[File:Allier.jpg|thumb|425px|Map of Allier]]

On 1 January 2017 the population of Allier was estimated at 337,988 inhabitants which represented an average density of 46 people/km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name=pophist/> Many areas have a density less than 20 people/km<sup>2</sup>. Because of its low population density, it is considered to fall within the [[empty diagonal]].

Since the early 1980s Allier has faced many demographic handicaps. The ratio of older people is important and with low fertility rates the natural growth is negative. Net migration was negative between 1968 and 1999, and slightly positive between 1999 and 2017.<ref name=pophist/>

Allier has three major cities: [[Montluçon]], [[Vichy]], and [[Moulins, Allier|Moulins]] by size. The rest of the department includes some small towns and villages, scattered mainly along the rivers. The few villages are far from one another, and it is generally a sparsely-populated department. Until the end of the 19th century, however, the population was increasing because the development of its cities (industries at Montluçon and Moulins, spas in Vichy) compensated by the rural exodus. The department then passed 420,000 inhabitants. After losses of the [[First World War]], the population stabilized and grew a little again in the 1960s. Since then, the continuing rural exodus and especially the decline of old industries has made the population decrease and age steadily, from 386,533 inhabitants in 1968 to 337,988 in 2017.

The population of the department is approximately equal of the country of [[Iceland]].

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = SPLAF<ref name=splaf>[http://splaf.free.fr/03his.html Historique de l'Allier], SPLAF</ref> and INSEE<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=DEP-03 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1791 |267126
|1801 |248864
|1806 |260046
|1821 |280025
|1831 |298257
|1836 |309270
|1841 |311361
|1846 |329540
|1851 |336758
|1856 |352241
|1861 |356432
|1866 |376164
|1872 |390812
|1876 |405783
|1881 |416759
|1886 |424582
|1891 |424382
|1896 |424378
|1901 |422024
|1906 |417961
|1911 |406291
|1921 |370950
|1926 |370562
|1931 |373924
|1936 |368778
|1946 |373481
|1954 |372689
|1962 |380221
|1968 |386533
|1975 |378406
|1982 |369580
|1990 |357710
|1999 |344615
|2007 |343114
|2012 |342911
|2017 |337988
|2019 |333065
}}