The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country would have throughout their reproductive years. In France in 1800, the average woman of childbearing age would have 4.4 children over the course of their lifetime. The beginning of the nineteenth century was a tumultuous time in France's history, involving France's revolutionary period, as well as the Napoleonic Empire. In the first decade of the 1800s, the fertility rate dropped by 0.4, before dropping more slowly, by another 0.5 between 1810 and 1850. The fertility growth rate fluctuated slightly in the late 1800s, before dropping drastically in the early twentieth century, falling from an average of 3 children per woman to less than 1.7 in 1920. France's fertility rate reached this point as a result of the First World War, and the influenza epidemic (known as the Spanish Flu) that followed. The interwar period saw a slight increase in fertility rate, before it fell again in the Second World War. Similarly to other major European countries after the war, France experienced a baby boom in the two decades following the war, before dropping again into the 1980s. The fertility rate reached it's lowest point in the post-war period, falling to 1.7 in 1995, before increasing in more recent years.

In 2024, the birth rate in France reached its lowest level since 1982. From 1982 to 2019, the birth rate in France has been fluctuating between more than 11 births and almost 14 births for 1,000 inhabitants. For the first time in this period, the birth rate fell below 11 in 2020. 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 keeps decreasing. If France keeps being one of the European countries with the highest fertility rate, it is still been impacted by the decline in the birth rate that affects most Western countries. A Declining birth rate Birth rate is the ration 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 women 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 of women in France were aged 31.1 years old at childbirth, compared to 28.8 years old in 1994.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in France was reported at 1.66 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Historical dataset showing France birth rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

In France, the crude birth rate in 1800 was 29.4 live births per thousand people, meaning that 2.9 percent of the population had been born in that year. In the first half of the nineteenth century France's crude birth rate dropped from it's highest recorded level of 29.4 in 1800, to 21.9 by 1850. In the second half of the 1800s the crude birth rate rose again, to 25.5 in 1875, as the Second Republic and Second Empire were established, which was a time of economic prosperity and the modernization of the country. From then until 1910 there was a gradual decline, until the First World War caused a huge decline, resulting in a record low crude birth rate of 13.3 by 1920 (the figures for individual years fell even lower than this). The figure then bounced back in the early 1920s, before then falling again until the Second World War. After the war, France experienced a baby boom, where the crude birth rate reached 22.2, before it dropped again until the 1980s, and since then it has declined slowly. The crude birth rate of France is expected to reach a new, record low of 11.2 in 2020.

Historical dataset showing France fertility rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: > 40 Yrs data was reported at 0.830 NA in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.800 NA for 2016. France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: > 40 Yrs data is updated yearly, averaging 0.700 NA from Dec 1946 (Median) to 2017, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.300 NA in 1948 and a record low of 0.300 NA in 1986. France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: > 40 Yrs data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G005: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate.

In 2023, the total fertility rate in children per woman in France amounted to 1.66. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 1.19, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

France FR: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 11.700 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.000 Ratio for 2015. France FR: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 13.800 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.700 Ratio in 1961 and a record low of 11.700 Ratio in 2016. France FR: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Actual value and historical data chart for France Birth Rate Crude Per 1 000 People

Historical dataset showing French Polynesia birth rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: 35-39 Yrs data was reported at 6.840 NA in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.900 NA for 2016. France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: 35-39 Yrs data is updated yearly, averaging 5.150 NA from Dec 1946 (Median) to 2017, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.100 NA in 1946 and a record low of 2.300 NA in 1978. France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: 35-39 Yrs data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G005: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate.

France: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 1.66 births per woman, a decline from 1.79 births per woman in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 2.41 births per woman, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for France from 1960 to 2023 is 2.06 births per woman. The minimum value, 1.66 births per woman, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 2.89 births per woman was recorded in 1962.

Historical dataset showing St. Martin (French part) birth rate by year from 1960 to 2023.

The rate of live births in the City of Marseille, located in the South of France, has fluctuated and generally slightly increased in the last 50 years. Indeed, there were about **** live births per 1,000 population between 1968 and 1975, compared to **** between 1975 and 1982. Since then, the birth rate has almost continuously increased, reaching **** in 2022.Marseille is the second-largest city in France in terms of population, following Paris.

This dataset is about countries per year in France. It has 64 rows. It features 3 columns: country, and birth rate.

Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: 30-34 Yrs data was reported at 12.700 NA in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.840 NA for 2016. Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: 30-34 Yrs data is updated yearly, averaging 12.460 NA from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.270 NA in 2010 and a record low of 9.400 NA in 1994. Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: 30-34 Yrs data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G005: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate.

This statistic presents the total fertility rate in France from 1995 to 2024, by age group (per 100 women). It appears that since the mid-2000s, women have been having children later. In 2000, the average number of children born per 100 women aged 25-29 years was ****** compared to ***** children per 100 women aged 30-34 years. And in 2024, the age group between 30 and 34 years had the highest fertility rate, with **** children born per 100 women.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) in France. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays population (people) against fertility rate (births per woman) in France. The data is about countries per year.