The commune of Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, in the Puy-de-Dôme department, is part of the federation of municipalities of the Massif du Sancy. It extends on the territory of the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Nature Park. The population of Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, estimated at 1,501 inhabitants in 2018, mostly consists of people over 45 years old. Its birth rate has been steadily declining since 1968. It has fallen from 17.3 to 4.9 births per thousand inhabitants while at the same time its death rate has steadily increased from 9.2 to 15.2 deaths per thousand inhabitants.