# Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

**Bourgogne-Franche-Comté** (Arpitan: *Borgogne-Franche-Comtât*; sometimes abbreviated BFC) is an administrative region of northeastern France created on 1 January 2016 by the merger of the former regions of Burgundy and [Franche-Comté](https://www.edgepedia.org/franche-comte) under the 2014 territorial reform<sup>[1](https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/archive/une-reforme-des-regions-pour-moderniser-l-etat)</sup>. Its official name and chef-lieu were fixed at Dijon by decree on 28 September 2016<sup>[2](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000033161477)</sup>. With 2,802,670 inhabitants in 2023, it is one of the less densely populated metropolitan regions, at 58.7 inhabitants per km²<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup>.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created | 1 January 2016, from the merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté; name and chef-lieu (Dijon) fixed by decree n° 2016-1268 of 28 September 2016<sup>[1](https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/archive/une-reforme-des-regions-pour-moderniser-l-etat)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000033161477)</sup> |
| Departments | Eight: Côte-d'Or, Doubs, Haute-Saône, Jura, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Territoire de Belfort, Yonne<sup>[4](https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/region/27-bourgogne-franche-comte)</sup> |
| Population | 2,802,670 in 2023; density 58.7 inhabitants per km²; annual average change 2017–2023 of −0.1%<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup> |
| Economy | GDP of €95,775 million in 2024, €34,216 per inhabitant; industry is 15.7% of employment (2023), among the highest shares in France<sup>[5](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2012723)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup> |
| Living standards | Median living standard €25,640 and poverty rate 14.2% in 2023<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup> |
| Leadership | Marie-Guite Dufay (Socialist Party) presided from January 2016, re-elected in July 2021; Jérôme Durain succeeded her in 2025<sup>[7](https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/07/22/jerome-durain-va-quitter-son-mandat-de-senateur-pour-la-presidence-de-la-bourgogne-franche-comte_6622889_823448.html)</sup> |
| Regional budget | €1.967 billion for 2026, of which about €1.535 billion (nearly 80%) funds public policies<sup>[8](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/node/2551)</sup> |

## Creation and name

The region resulted from France's 2014 territorial reform, which reduced the number of metropolitan regions from 22 to 13. Burgundy and Franche-Comté were designated a prefiguring pair in November 2014, and the merged region came into existence on 1 January 2016, when Christiane Barret became its first prefect<sup>[1](https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/archive/une-reforme-des-regions-pour-moderniser-l-etat)</sup>. A decree of 28 September 2016, taken after a deliberation of the regional council of 24 June 2016, gave the region its hyphenated name and fixed the chef-lieu at Dijon<sup>[2](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000033161477)</sup>.

The merger joined two territories with distinct histories, and the institutional seat reflects this. While Dijon is the chef-lieu, the region's institutional seat remains at Besançon, the former regional capital of Franche-Comté, which the current president has committed to maintain<sup>[7](https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/07/22/jerome-durain-va-quitter-son-mandat-de-senateur-pour-la-presidence-de-la-bourgogne-franche-comte_6622889_823448.html)</sup>. Several state regional directorates, including those for environment, planning and housing, for enterprises, for public finances, and the regional health agency, are located in Besançon<sup>[9](https://www.prefectures-regions.gouv.fr/content/download/13273/91861/file/DP-AdminstrationTerritorialeDeLEtatV9.pdf)</sup>.

## Territory and geography

The region comprises eight departments and borders Switzerland as well as the French regions of [Île-de-France](https://www.edgepedia.org/ile-de-france), Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, and [Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes](https://www.edgepedia.org/auvergne-rhone-alpes)<sup>[4](https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/region/27-bourgogne-franche-comte)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/index.php/la-region-en-quelques-chiffres)</sup>. Insee's regional portrait distinguishes four broad territorial ensembles: a tight, multipolar urban network along the Rhine-Rhône axis from Chalon-sur-Saône to Belfort; more autonomous employment poles such as Sens, Auxerre, Nevers, and Mâcon; an eastern strip shaped by the pull of nearby Swiss employment centers; and a sparsely populated west facing what Insee calls "hyper-rurality", with geographic isolation, an aging population, and limited services<sup>[11](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2019815)</sup>.

## Demographics

The region's population has been nearly flat for decades: it stood at 2,495,379 in 1968, peaked at 2,816,814 in 2012, and stood at 2,802,670 in 2023<sup>[12](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2011101?geo=REG-27)</sup>. Between 2017 and 2023 the annual average change was −0.1%, composed of a natural decrease of −0.2% per year, deaths exceeding births, offset by a positive migratory balance of +0.1%<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup>. Only two of the eight departments, Doubs and Côte-d'Or, grew over that period, each at +0.2% per year, while the Nièvre declined fastest at −0.5%<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>.

The population is among the oldest in France. The aging index, which compares the population aged 75 and over with those under 20, stood at 108.3 in 2022 against a national figure of 88.7, and reached 161.8 in the Nièvre<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>. Fertility fell to 1.54 children per woman in 2024, below the national 1.62<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>. In 2025 the region recorded 21,861 births and 31,910 deaths<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup>. Inmigration partly offsets this: 47,500 new residents settled in the region in 2021, drawn by employment opportunities, access to property, and quality of life<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>.

## Economy

With a GDP of €95,775 million in 2024, the region produces about 3.5% of national wealth, roughly in line with its 4.3% share of the national population<sup>[5](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2012723)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.prefectures-regions.gouv.fr/content/download/13273/91861/file/DP-AdminstrationTerritorialeDeLEtatV9.pdf)</sup>. GDP per inhabitant was €34,216 in 2024; in 2023 it was €32,700, the lowest in metropolitan France after Corsica, which Insee attributes mainly to the smaller share of working-age residents<sup>[5](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2012723)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>.

**Industry remains central.** [Manufacturing](https://www.edgepedia.org/manufacturing) accounted for 15.7% of employment in 2023, one of the highest shares in France behind [Pays de la Loire](https://www.edgepedia.org/pays-de-la-loire); in Haute-Saône, the Jura, and the Doubs, industry represents around one job in five<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>. The region is also more agricultural than the national average, with noted productions including wine, comté cheese, and poultry<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>. The service sector nonetheless dominates, at 74.4% of total employment in 2023, with the non-market sector, largely public employment, at 33.2% against 30.0% nationally<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>.

The labor market counted 1,098,257 jobs in 2023, 86.1% of them salaried; the activity rate of 15-to-64-year-olds was 75.9% and the unemployment rate 10.2%<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup>. Insee's 2023 economic review noted that employment growth slowed and unemployment rose, particularly among young people, as inflation and tighter financing conditions weighed on consumption and investment<sup>[13](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7936453)</sup>.

## Living standards

The median living standard was €25,640 in 2023, and the poverty rate 14.2%<sup>[3](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)</sup>. In 2021, with a median of €22,750, the region had the fourth-lowest poverty rate in France at 13.4%, behind Pays de la Loire, Brittany, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, though poverty in the Territoire de Belfort (16.3%) and the Nièvre (16.1%) exceeded the national average of 15.3%<sup>[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)</sup>.

## Politics and administration

Marie-Guite Dufay, formerly president of Franche-Comté, was elected president of the merged regional council in January 2016 and re-elected in July 2021<sup>[7](https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/07/22/jerome-durain-va-quitter-son-mandat-de-senateur-pour-la-presidence-de-la-bourgogne-franche-comte_6622889_823448.html)</sup>. In 2025 the Socialist senator Jérôme Durain left the Senate to succeed her as president, facing a Rassemblement National opposition led by Julien Odoul and reservations in part of Franche-Comté about Burgundian dominance; Eric Houlley, mayor of Lure, became first vice-president<sup>[7](https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/07/22/jerome-durain-va-quitter-son-mandat-de-senateur-pour-la-presidence-de-la-bourgogne-franche-comte_6622889_823448.html)</sup>.

The regional administration comprises 30 directorates and delegations organized in five poles, with 4,355 permanent posts, of which 3,030 are in public lycées<sup>[14](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/ladministration-de-la-region-bourgogne-franche-comte)</sup>. The executive bureau consists of the president, 15 vice-presidents, and delegated regional councilors<sup>[15](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/composition-et-decisions-de-lassemblee)</sup>. The 2026 budget totals €1.967 billion, with nearly 80% devoted to financing public policies<sup>[8](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/node/2551)</sup>.

## References

1. [« Une réforme des régions pour moderniser l'État », Ministère de l'Intérieur](https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/archive/une-reforme-des-regions-pour-moderniser-l-etat)
2. [Décret n° 2016-1268 du 28 septembre 2016 portant fixation du nom et du chef-lieu de la région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Légifrance](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000033161477)
3. [Comparateur de territoires − Région de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (27), Insee](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=REG-27)
4. [Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Insee, géographie administrative](https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/region/27-bourgogne-franche-comte)
5. [Produit intérieur brut en 2024 : comparaisons régionales, Insee](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2012723)
6. [L'essentiel sur… la Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Insee](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4479807)
7. [Jérôme Durain va quitter son mandat de sénateur pour la présidence de la Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Le Monde (22 July 2025)](https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/07/22/jerome-durain-va-quitter-son-mandat-de-senateur-pour-la-presidence-de-la-bourgogne-franche-comte_6622889_823448.html)
8. [Budget, financement et rapport d'activité, Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/node/2551)
9. [Dossier de presse, Administration territoriale de l'État, Préfecture Bourgogne-Franche-Comté](https://www.prefectures-regions.gouv.fr/content/download/13273/91861/file/DP-AdminstrationTerritorialeDeLEtatV9.pdf)
10. [La région en quelques chiffres, Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/index.php/la-region-en-quelques-chiffres)
11. [Portrait de la Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Insee Dossier](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2019815)
12. [Dossier complet − Région de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (27), Insee](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2011101?geo=REG-27)
13. [Bilan économique 2023 - Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Insee Conjoncture](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7936453)
14. [L'Administration de la Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/ladministration-de-la-region-bourgogne-franche-comte)
15. [Composition et décisions de l'assemblée, Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté](https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/composition-et-decisions-de-lassemblee)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Administrative and cadastral territories › First-order subdivisions › Provinces of Italy*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license