More deaths than births in France

France recorded more deaths than births in 2025 for the first time since the end of World War II, undermining its long-standing demographic advantage over other European Union countries, official data released yesterday showed.

The National Institute for Statistics INSEE announced that 651.000 deaths and 645.000 births were recorded last year, the number of which has been in sharp decline since the global Covid pandemic.

France has traditionally had a more favorable demographic picture than much of Europe, but an aging population and falling birth rates show that it is not immune to the demographic pressure that is burdening public finances across the continent.

The institute said the fertility rate fell to 1,56 children per woman last year, the lowest level since World War I.

In 2023, the last year for which comparable data are available at the EU level, France had the second highest fertility rate (1,65), behind Bulgaria (1,81).

“Given the retirement of numerous generations born in the 1960s, labor market tensions and workforce problems are likely to increase rapidly in the coming years,” said economist Philippe Krevel.

Despite more deaths than births, France's population rose slightly to 69,1 million last year thanks to a positive migration balance, estimated by INSEE at 176.000. Life expectancy reached record levels, at 85,9 years for women and 80,3 for men, while the proportion of people over 65 rose to 22 percent.