Espèche sits above 96% of compared French towns for second homes (41%)
In the typical compared French town, 22% of residents are 65 or over; in Espèche, 14%. The town has fewer flats than 99% of compared French towns, at 1.9%. Census day 2023: 42 residents and 20 households in the town. The census found that a quarter of households are single parents locally.
Throughout this page, the Hautes-Pyrénées median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
What stands out about the people of Espèche
One home in two is a second home
The census counted 21 second homes and occasional dwellings in Espèche, 41% of its 53 homes: higher than in 96% of compared French towns. 100% of them are houses. Their owners live elsewhere, so they aren’t in the population figures on this page. Homes & cars ↓
Fewer residents than in 2012
Espèche had 61 residents at the 2012 census and 42 in 2023, down 31%: slower growth than in 99% of compared French towns. Population ↓
Empty homes
The census found 11 homes empty (21%): for sale, to let, awaiting work or simply unused. Homes & cars ↓
Many people living alone
50% of Espèche’s households are one person: higher than in 94% of compared French towns; 50% of residents 65 and over live alone. Households ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
More empty homes than 99% of compared French towns: 21%
Every home the census counted: main residences, second homes and occasional dwellings (INSEE counts them together), and empty homes. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
All homes · share of homes
Type of home
Cars per household · share of households
Without a car: one household in 10, against 11% in the median compared French town. The benchmark for empty homes in the typical compared French town: 6.7%.
Since 2012, Espèche has changed by −31%, slower than 99% of compared French towns
Residents at INSEE’s last three censuses, each recast in the 2026 commune boundaries. France has no yearly estimate by commune between censuses.
2012 to 2023
2017 to 2023
Between 2012 and 2017 the population moved −13%, then −21% to 2023. Over those years, the median Hautes-Pyrénées town changed ±0% and the median compared French town +5%.
Older than 57% of compared French towns: half of Espèche is over 45
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Espèche 45. The median compared French town: 44.
The figure for residents aged 15 to 24 is 12% in Espèche and 11% in the typical compared French town.
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 110 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Hautes-Pyrénées 53.4%, France 51.8%.
Espèche: 50% of households are one person living alone, above 94% of compared French towns
A household is everyone who shares a main home (résidence principale). Household types come from INSEE’s fuller sample of a quarter of census forms.
Against the Hautes-Pyrénées median and the France median
Living alone · share
Households here average 2.1 people each. Couples with children are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. The share of one-person households in the typical compared French town is 35%.
More households headed by a retired person than 97% of compared French towns: 50%
Households by the socio-professional group (PCS) of their reference person, INSEE’s own categories. Jobs and commuting are on the Work & commute page.
Households by reference person’s group · share of households
Households headed by a manager or professional are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. As a reference point, 32% of households are headed by a retired person in the typical compared French town.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
A smaller share of immigrants than 66% of compared French towns: 4.8%
INSEE publishes two measures, which overlap but aren’t the same. Neither is the UK’s “born abroad”.
Share of residents · census 2023
Immigrant (immigré)
Born abroad, not French at birth. Someone stays an immigrant after becoming French. A French citizen born abroad (for example in Algeria before 1962) is not one.
Foreign national (étranger)
Not a French citizen today, wherever born. A child born in France to foreign parents can be a foreign national without being an immigrant.
Put another way, about one in 21: 4.8% of residents are foreign nationals. On average, 6.5% of residents are immigrants in the typical compared French town.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
Married residents: 40%, a lower share than 69% of compared French towns
Residents 15 and over by how they live: the census asks both the legal status and whether people live as a couple.
Residents 15 and over · share
About one in four: that is how common single residents are in Espèche (26%). The benchmark for married residents in the typical compared French town: 43%.
Only 13% of adults out of school have no qualification in Espèche
Highest diploma of residents 15 and over who have left education, in French terms: the levels don’t map one-to-one to UK or U.S. ones.
Highest diploma · 15 and over, out of education
Graduates of higher education: 26%, below 66% of compared French towns. As a reference point, 19% of adults out of school have no qualification in the typical compared French town.
The 20th youngest of 41 French towns of 42 to 2,582 people
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Villejust (37.2), the youngest, and Prayssac (62.3), the oldest.
Espèche is younger than every town around it
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espèche | 45 | 14% | 41% | 4.8% |
| Lannemezan 5,811 · 6.3 mi | 51.8 | 30% | 3.2% | 10% |
| Bagnères-de-Bigorre 7,114 · 7.4 mi | 56 | 37% | 43% | 7.5% |
| Barbazan-Debat 3,478 · 13.2 mi | 50.1 | 30% | 2% | 5.6% |
| Montréjeau 2,648 · 13.6 mi | 53.9 | 35% | 4% | 8.1% |
| Soues 2,988 · 14.2 mi | 49.8 | 28% | 1.5% | 7.3% |
| Séméac 5,236 · 15.2 mi | 50.2 | 27% | 2.3% | 7.8% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Census 2023. INSEE’s census is a rolling survey: a fifth of small communes each year, 8% of homes in large ones each year. “2023” pools the surveys of 2021 to 2025, so the figures describe the town around 2023, not on one day.
- Medians of compared communes. The comparisons are the median of the département’s compared communes and of France’s (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median: not the total for the département or for France, which large cities pull towards their own figures.
- Immigrants and foreign nationals. INSEE’s two measures: an immigrant was born abroad without French nationality; a foreign national isn’t French today. Neither is a count of people born abroad, which INSEE doesn’t publish by commune.
- Second homes. Homes used for holidays or weekends, with occasional dwellings (kept for work, for example), which INSEE counts together. Their owners are counted where they live, not here.
- Standard of living. INSEE’s Filosofi: disposable income per consumption unit, from tax and benefit files, 2023. The poverty rate is the share of residents below 60% of France’s median. Not published for the smallest communes.
- What France doesn’t ask. The French census asks nothing about ethnicity, religion, language or health, so this page has no such section.
Questions about who lives in Espèche
What is the population of Espèche?
42 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 31% fewer than in 2012 (61).
How old are Espèche’s residents?
The median age is 45, older than 57% of compared French towns. 24% are under 18 and 14% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Espèche?
21, with occasional dwellings: 41% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Espèche?
INSEE counts 2 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 4.8% of residents, and 2 foreign nationals (4.8%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, ages, households, homes, marital status, diplomas, immigrants, foreign nationals, employment), 2026 geography · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (standard of living, poverty) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.