France’s natural population balance turned negative for the first time since the Second World War in 2025, according to new figures released by the national statistics institute Insee on Tuesday, January 13th.
The data shows that France recorded around 6,000 more deaths than births last year, marking a historic demographic shift.
A total of 645,000 babies were born in 2025, down 2.1% on the previous year and almost a quarter fewer than in 2010, the last peak in births.
The fertility rate fell to 1.56 children per woman, its lowest level since the end of the First World War.
By contrast, the number of deaths rose to 651,000, an increase of 1.5% year on year. Insee attributed this rise mainly to a particularly severe winter flu epidemic in January and, in some areas, episodes of extreme heat during the summer.
Despite the negative natural balance, France’s population continued to grow, increasing by 0.25% to reach 69.1 million inhabitants. This growth was driven entirely by immigration, with a net migration balance of 176,000 in 2025.
The report also highlights the ageing of the population. As of January 1, 2026, people aged 65 and over accounted for 22.2% of the population, nearly matching the share of under-20s at 22.5%.
