How many people live at Mont-Saint-Michel, and who are they?

Mont-Saint-Michel had 23 inhabitants in 2023, according to INSEE. The site, meanwhile, receives about 3 million visitors a year.

How many people live at Mont-Saint-Michel?

23 inhabitants in 2023, a density of 5.8 inhabitants per km². INSEE counts 11 households and 40 homes, about half of which (50.2%) are second homes or occasional dwellings.

The gap with visitor numbers is huge: compared with the roughly 3 million annual visitors estimated by the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel, that is more than 100,000 visitors per inhabitant per year.

The population is falling: between 2017 and 2023, it dropped by an average of 4.3% a year. INSEE attributes most of this fall to people leaving (net migration of −3.7% a year), and the rest to natural change (−0.6% a year).

How many inhabitants in 2020 and 2022?

Official figures always refer to a year before their publication. Here are the legal populations published by INSEE for the commune:

The municipal population counts people who usually live in the commune. The total population adds the “population counted separately”, for example people who keep a home in the commune but live elsewhere.

What are the inhabitants of Mont-Saint-Michel called?

Montois (men) and Montoises (women).

Do people live at Mont-Saint-Michel?

Yes, around twenty permanent residents. They take part in the life of the site: 25 residents spent six months working on a tapestry by the artist Dorian Étienne, made with wool from the salt-meadow sheep, according to the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel.

The commune (INSEE code 50353) is a local authority in its own right. Managing the tourist site, however, is the job of the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel, created by the State, and of the Centre des monuments nationaux for the abbey. See getting to the Mont for how access works.

Who lives in Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey?

A religious community, present since 1969. The Centre des monuments nationaux traces its recent history:

• 1969: a small community of Benedictine monks settles there, after the monastic millennium celebrated in 1965-1966.
• 2001: the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem take over. The CMN mentions a dozen monks and nuns.
• 2026: a July article in Aleteia announces the upcoming departure of the Fraternity’s two monks, with the women’s branch staying on. The rector of the sanctuary, Dom Pierre Doat, belongs to the Communauté Saint-Martin.

Monks at the Mont since the 10th century

The religious presence is much older. Duke Richard I of Normandy installed Benedictine monks in 966. During the Revolution, the State nationalised the clergy’s property and the monks were driven out; the abbey was then used as a prison until 1863. It was not until 1969 that a religious community came back to live there.

This presence makes the abbey a working place of worship, not just a monument: keep this in mind during your visit, especially during services.

How many inhabitants were there before?

INSEE figures show a fall in recent years, from 29 inhabitants (municipal population, reference year 2019) to 23 in 2023. For earlier periods, see the full INSEE file directly.

Which commune do the Montois live in?

In the commune of Le Mont-Saint-Michel, INSEE code 50353, in the Manche department and the Normandy region. It is part of the arrondissement of Avranches, the canton of Pontorson and the Mont-Saint-Michel-Normandie urban community. To locate the Mont, read where is Mont-Saint-Michel.

Looking for accommodation on site or nearby? See the hotels in the directory.