France’s Post–World War II Baby Boom Is Finally Over As Deaths Outnumber Births In 2025

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 23:21 IST

In 2023, the most recent year for EU-wide comparisons, France ranked second highest among member states with a fertility rate of 1.65, behind Bulgaria at 1.81.

Economists warn that the shift will have significant implications for public finances.

France recorded more deaths than births in 2025 for the first time since the end of World War Two, marking a historic demographic shift that weakens the country’s long-standing population advantage over other European Union nations, according to official data.

Figures from INSEE, France’s national statistics office, showed that 651,000 people died last year while births fell to 645,000. For decades, France stood out in Europe for its relatively robust birth rate, supported by generous family policies. However, INSEE said the country is now increasingly exposed to the same demographic pressures affecting much of the continent, driven by an ageing population and persistently low fertility.

The fertility rate fell to 1.56 children per woman in 2025- its lowest level since World War One and well below the 1.8 rate assumed in long-term pension funding projections by France’s pension advisory council. In 2023, the most recent year for EU-wide comparisons, France ranked second highest among member states with a fertility rate of 1.65, behind Bulgaria at 1.81.

Economists warn that the shift will have significant implications for public finances. France’s national public audit office cautioned last month that demographic trends could push public spending back toward pandemic-era highs in the coming years while simultaneously eroding the tax base.

“Given the retirement of the large generations born in the 1960s, labour market tensions and workforce problems are likely to increase rapidly in the coming years," said Philippe Crevel of the Cercle d’Epargne.

Despite deaths exceeding births, France’s total population still edged up slightly to 69.1 million last year, supported by net migration. INSEE estimated net migration at around 176,000, offsetting the natural population decline. Life expectancy also reached record levels, rising to 85.9 years for women and 80.3 years for men. At the same time, the share of people aged 65 and over climbed to 22 per cent of the population, nearly matching the proportion of those under 20- another indicator of France’s rapidly ageing demographic profile.

News world France’s Post–World War II Baby Boom Is Finally Over As Deaths Outnumber Births In 2025

Read More