Some key facts and figures about France’s population.
 | People crowd Paris's Champs Elysee to celebrate of their country's World Cup win in July 1998 (Photo: Reuters) |
KEY FIGURES
Population: 63.8 million
Life expectancy: Men 77.1 years
Women 84.1 years
Population over 60: 20.8 percent
Population under 15: 18.4 percent
Annual Births 2007: 816,500
Annual Deaths 2007: 526,500
Estimated net migration 2007: +71,000 (INSEE, 2008)
Population Growth 2007: 361,000
Urban population: 76.7 percent
 | Human Capital Development in Europe (click to enlarge)Germany, Italy, and Spain face a difficult demographic future, while France's human capital will grow (Graphic: Lisbon Council) |
10 FACTS ABOUT DEMOGRAPHICS IN FRANCE
01. The world's oldest person on record was French. Jeanne Calment died at the age of 122 in 1997.
02. With over 20 percent of its population now 60 or older, France has the 13th-oldest population in the world.
03. French women are giving birth at an increasingly older age. In 1982, the average mother was 25 years old, compared to 30 in 2007.
04. Around half of all children in France are born to parents who are not married.
05. Immigrant women are not responsible for France's high fertility rate of 2.0 children per woman. Foreign mothers add only 0.1 children per woman to France's fertility.
06. The French population is expected to grow by 9 million people, to 70 million, by 2050. France could then be the most populous country in western Europe.
07. Only around ten percent of people aged 60-64 in France are employed.
08. By 2020, every fourth person living in France will be older than 60.
09. In 2007, the percentage of people younger than 20 dropped below 25 percent of the total population for the first time since recordkeeping began.
10. France has the fastest-growing life insurance market in Europe.
Sources:
Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (INSEE), Institut national d'études démographiques (INED), The Economist, Population Reference Bureau, Embassy of France in the USA website
editor: Valdis Wish
publishing date: February 20, 2008
