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In 2025, the birth rate in France reached its lowest level since 1982. From 1982 to 2022, the birth rate in France has fluctuated between more than 10 births and almost 14 births per 1,000 inhabitants. In 2023, for the first time, the birth rate fell below 10. On the other hand, the highest birth rate in France during this period was recorded in 1982. That year, there were 14.8 births per 1,000 inhabitants. Since then, the birth rate in the country has kept decreasing. If France keeps being one of the European countries with the highest fertility rate, it will still be impacted by the decline in the birth rate that affects most Western countries.

A Declining birth rate

Birth rate is the ratio between the annual number of live births and the average total population over that year. In 2023, there were 640,000 live births in France, while the French population amounted to 68 million people. The average number of children born per woman went from 2.03 in 2010, down to 1.66 in 2023. 

Births in France

With a crude birth rate of 10.9 births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2020, France still has one of the highest birth rates in Europe. The percentage of children born out-of-wedlock in France has been rising since the nineties, reaching 65.2 percent in 2022. Another change can be seen in the average age at childbirth among French women. In 2022, most women in France were aged 31.1 years old at childbirth, compared to 28.8 years old in 1994.