In 2025, France recorded more deaths than newborns for the first time since the World War II era, raising concerns about long-term consequences in various areas.
On 13 Jan 2026, French authorities revealed that in 2025, the number of deaths in France exceeded births for the first time since the end of World War II, marking a demographic shift that diminishes France’s long-held population advantage over other European Union countries.
The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) reported that last year there were 651,000 deaths and 645,000 births, with birth numbers sharply declining continuously since the global COVID-19 pandemic began.
Typically, France has a stronger demographic structure than most European countries, but entering an aging society combined with declining birth rates shows that France cannot avoid the demographic crisis burdening public finances across the continent.
INSEE stated that the fertility rate—or the average number of children a woman has during her reproductive years—in France fell to only 1.56 children per woman in 2025, the lowest since World War I and well below the 1.8 level previously projected by the Pension Advisory Council for pension fund budgeting.
In 2023, the latest year with comparable data within the European Union, France had the second-highest fertility rate at 1.65 children per woman, trailing only Bulgaria at 1.81.
In December, the French Court of Auditors warned that these demographic changes will push public spending back up to levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic in the next few years, while simultaneously reducing the tax revenue base.
However, despite deaths outnumbering births, France’s population still grew slightly last year, reaching 69.1 million, due to a net migration estimated by INSEE at 176,000 people.
Meanwhile, life expectancy reached record highs last year—85.9 years for women and 80.3 years for men—while the proportion of the population aged 65 and older increased to 22%, nearly equal to the share of those under 20.
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:france24