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5h ago

France Records More Deaths Than Births in 2025 for First Time Since World War II

The reversal arrived about a decade earlier than projections, underscoring looming pressure on pensions and public finances.

Un nouveau-né à la maternité du centre hospitalier de Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), en 2023.
L’Union européenne enregistre plus de décès que de naissances depuis 2015, selon les chiffres compilés par Eurostat. Image d’illustration.
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Overview

  • INSEE reports 651,000 deaths versus 645,000 births in 2025, producing a natural balance of −6,000.
  • Fertility fell to 1.56 children per woman, the lowest since World War I, with births down 2.1% from 2024 and about 24% from 2010.
  • Deaths rose 1.5% as ageing increased mortality and a particularly severe January influenza wave added to the toll, even as life expectancy hit record highs.
  • Despite the natural decline, net migration of about +176,000 lifted the population to 69.1 million on Jan. 1, 2026, with people 65+ now 22.2% of the population versus 22.5% under 20.
  • The crossover places France within an EU-wide pattern of negative natural growth since 2015, and comes far earlier than INSEE’s central projection for the mid‑2030s.