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.

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.

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 July of 2025.

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.

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;

France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: 25-29 Yrs data was reported at 11.000 NA in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.390 NA for 2016. France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: 25-29 Yrs data is updated yearly, averaging 13.900 NA from Dec 1946 (Median) to 2017, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.600 NA in 1963 and a record low of 11.000 NA in 2017. France Births Rate: per 100 Womens: Metropolitan: 25-29 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.

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

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for France (SPDYNCBRTINFRA) from 1960 to 2023 about birth, France, crude, and rate.

Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in France was reported at 9.9 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: > 40 Yrs data was reported at 0.850 NA in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.820 NA for 2016. Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: > 40 Yrs data is updated yearly, averaging 0.650 NA from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.850 NA in 2017 and a record low of 0.400 NA in 1997. Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: > 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.

France: The number of crude births per 1000 people, per year: Pour cet indicateur, La Banque mondiale fournit des données pour la France de 1960 à 2022. La valeur moyenne pour France pendant cette période était de 14.08 births per 1000 people avec un minimum de 10.6 births per 1000 people en 2022 et un maximum de 18.7 births per 1000 people en 1960.

In 2023, there were 639,533 births in France. In 2022, France was the European country with the second-highest number of live births behind Germany. The recent decrease in births in France Despite having one of the highest fertility rate in Europe, France, like other Western countries, appears to be experiencing a decrease in its number of births in recent years. According to the source, the number of births has kept decreasing since 2011, after a period of gradual increase. The country has reached its highest number of births in 2010. That year 802,000 babies were born in France. Since then, the number of births is declining. To be born in France In 2022, male babies represented most births in France. In 2023, life expectancy at birth for French males was 80 years, whereas it amounted to 85.7 years for females. Thus, France was one of the countries worldwide with the lowest infant mortality rate.

Graph and download economic data for Adolescent Fertility Rate for France (SPADOTFRTFRA) from 1960 to 2023 about 15 to 19 years, fertility, France, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for France (SPDYNTFRTINFRA) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, France, and rate.

In 2024, Monaco was the European country estimated to have the highest fertility rate. The country had a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. Other small countries such as Gibraltar or Montenegro also came towards the top of the list for 2024, while the large country with the highest fertility rate was France, with 1.64 children per woman. On the other hand, Ukraine had the lowest fertility rate, averaging around one child per woman.

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 line chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by population female in France. The data is about countries per year.

This bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by population in France. The data is about countries per year.

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 14.5 live births per 1,000 population between 1968 and 1975, compared to 12.5 between 1975 and 1982. Since then, the birth rate has almost continuously increased, reaching 14.7 in 2021.Marseille is the second largest city in France in terms of population, following Paris.

Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) in France was reported at 3.507 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.