Since the beginning of 2022, France has exceeded 68 million inhabitants. The latest demographic report from INSEE reveals, however, that the the number of births is the lowest since 1946. Conversely, mortality is higher than in previous years. If a collective desire to free oneself from a pro-natalist society can be seen in these figures, they are above all the consequence of health and demographic factors.
France reproduces later, and less
The year 2022 is not a good year for population growth. The latest INSEE report reports 723,000 births in France in 2022. There are 19,000 fewer than in 2021, and this is the lowest number since 1946. INSEE also notes a continuous drop in the birth rate since 2015, even though 2021 had benefited from the post-lockdown jump in pregnancies.
This decline in births cannot be explained (only) by social reasons which would encourage French women to have fewer children. Women now welcome their first child at the average age of 31, up from 29.4 years 20 years ago. Since fertility declines with age, this subsequent entry into motherhood can compromise subsequent pregnancies. Another significant (and less alarmist) demographic: The number of women of reproductive age (ages 20 to 40) has reached a plateau. You cannot have more babies than available wombs.
A rising death rate
If we are born fewer in France, we die more there. France regrets 667,000 dead in 2022, or 5,000 more than in 2021. Covid and heatwaves wreaked havoc again last year, but France also owes this increase in mortality to the aging generation of baby boomers.
If the French population continues to increase, it is mainly thanks to the migratory balance, i.e. with the number of people who have settled in the country, minus the number of people who have left it the same year. This balance was 161,000 in 2022, up from 56,000 for the natural balance, which subtracts the number of deaths from the number of births registered in the territory.
Photo credit image of one: Zurijeta
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
