France recorded more deaths than births in 2025 for the first time since the end of World War II, a development that weakens the demographic advantage the country has traditionally had over most European Union countries, according to official data published on Tuesday.
The National Institute of Statistics (INSEE) announced that 651 deaths and 645 births were recorded last year, with a significant drop in fertility since the COVID-19 pandemic.
France has historically had stronger demographic statistics than most of Europe, but an aging population and low birth rates indicate the country is facing a demographic crisis that could strain public finances on the continent, reports the European Commission. reuters.
INSEE reported that the fertility rate fell to 1.56 children per woman last year, the lowest level since World War I. By comparison, in 2023 France ranked second in the EU with a fertility rate of 1.65, behind Bulgaria with 1.81.
Demographic changes are expected to increase public spending again to levels similar to those of the pandemic, while weakening the tax base, according to the national public audit office.
"Given the retirement of the large generations born in the 1960s, tensions in the labor market and labor shortages are expected to increase rapidly in the coming years," said economist Philippe Crevel of the Cercle d'Épargne.
However, even though deaths exceeded births, France's population grew slightly last year, reaching 69.1 million inhabitants, thanks to net migration, which INSEE estimated at 176 people. /Telegraph/
