According to a recent report from Insee, the demographic situation in France has changed significantly. As of January 1, 2026, France’s population is estimated to be 69.1 million, which is a slight increase of 0.25% from the previous year.
The most surprising aspect of this report is that in 2025, the number of deaths in France exceeded the number of births for the first time since World War II. Last year, there were 645,000 babies born, which is a decrease of 2.1% compared to 2024 and a staggering 24% drop from 2010, when births were at their highest. This decline has led to a drop in the fertility rate, which is now at 1.56 children per woman, the lowest level since the end of World War I.
On the other hand, the number of deaths rose to 651,000, marking a 1.5% increase from 2024. This means that France’s natural population balance is negative, with 6,000 more deaths than births in 2025.
Interestingly, this decline in births is not due to a decrease in the desire to have children. The National Union of Family Associations (Unaf) has pointed out that over the past 15 years, the desire to have children has remained stable. Bernard Tranchand, the president of Unaf, emphasized that families still want to have children, but there are obstacles preventing them from doing so.
Philosopher Olivier Rey has noted that as societies become more modern, birth rates tend to fall. He suggests that the breakdown of traditional communities and family structures plays a significant role in this trend. Many people feel torn between accepting the current state of society and a deep dissatisfaction that leads to a reluctance to bring new life into the world.
Rey argues that for birth rates to rise again, society needs to break free from a kind of collective apathy and regain a sense of reality about family life.
This article has been translated and simplified by artificial intelligence from a French article “En 2025, le nombre des décès en France a dépassé celui des naissances”
It may therefore contain errors. The French version is the reference version..