During the eighteenth century, it is estimated that France's population grew by roughly fifty percent, from 19.7 million in 1700, to 29 million by 1800. In France itself, the 1700s are remembered for the end of King Louis XIV's reign in 1715, the Age of Enlightenment, and the French Revolution. During this century, the scientific and ideological advances made in France and across Europe challenged the leadership structures of the time, and questioned the relationship between monarchial, religious and political institutions and their subjects. France was arguably the most powerful nation in the world in these early years, with the second largest population in Europe (after Russia); however, this century was defined by a number of costly, large-scale conflicts across Europe and in the new North American theater, which saw the loss of most overseas territories (particularly in North America) and almost bankrupted the French crown. A combination of regressive taxation, food shortages and enlightenment ideologies ultimately culminated in the French Revolution in 1789, which brought an end to the Ancien Régime, and set in motion a period of self-actualization.

War and peace

After a volatile and tumultuous decade, in which tens of thousands were executed by the state (most infamously: guillotined), relative stability was restored within France as Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in 1799, and the policies of the revolution became enforced. Beyond France's borders, the country was involved in a series of large scale wars for two almost decades, and the First French Empire eventually covered half of Europe by 1812. In 1815, Napoleon was defeated outright, the empire was dissolved, and the monarchy was restored to France; nonetheless, a large number of revolutionary and Napoleonic reforms remained in effect afterwards, and the ideas had a long-term impact across the globe. France experienced a century of comparative peace in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars; there were some notable uprisings and conflicts, and the monarchy was abolished yet again, but nothing on the scale of what had preceded or what was to follow. A new overseas colonial empire was also established in the late 1800s, particularly across Africa and Southeast Asia. Through most of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, France had the second largest population in Europe (after Russia), however political instability and the economic prioritization of Paris meant that the entire country did not urbanize or industrialize at the same rate as the other European powers. Because of this, Germany and Britain entered the twentieth century with larger populations, and other regions, such as Austria or Belgium, had overtaken France in terms of industrialization; the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War was also a major contributor to this.

World Wars and contemporary France

Coming into the 1900s, France had a population of approximately forty million people (officially 38 million* due to to territorial changes), and there was relatively little growth in the first half of the century. France was comparatively unprepared for a large scale war, however it became one of the most active theaters of the First World War when Germany invaded via Belgium in 1914, with the ability to mobilize over eight million men. By the war's end in 1918, France had lost almost 1.4 million in the conflict, and approximately 300,000 in the Spanish Flu pandemic that followed. Germany invaded France again during the Second World War, and occupied the country from 1940, until the Allied counter-invasion liberated the country during the summer of 1944. France lost around 600,000 people in the course of the war, over half of which were civilians. Following the war's end, the country experienced a baby boom, and the population grew by approximately twenty million people in the next fifty years (compared to just one million in the previous fifty years). Since the 1950s, France's economy quickly grew to be one of the strongest in the world, despite losing the vast majority of its overseas colonial empire by the 1970s. A wave of migration, especially from these former colonies, has greatly contributed to the growth and diversity of France's population today, which stands at over 65 million people in 2020.

The total population of France has been increasing for years now, exceeding 68 million inhabitants in 2025. However, like most Western nations, France is struggling with an aging population. Demographics in France For a few years, the population growth in France has been decreasing. However, unlike the majority of European countries, France appears to have a steady fertility rate of around 1.79 children per woman. This phenomenon allows France to be ranked as the most fertile country in Europe. But this cannot hide the fact that the population is getting older every year. An aging country The median age of French citizens has been increasing since the seventies. In 2050, the median age in France is expected to reach 43.5 years, compared to 35.2 years back in 1995. France has one of the highest life expectancies in Europe. Even though its birth rate seems pretty high compared to other European nations, this does not appear to be enough to slow down the growing trend of the French median age.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for France (POPTOTFRA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about France and population.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for France (SPPOPGROWFRA) from 1961 to 2024 about France, population, and rate.

The total population in France was estimated at 68.4 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - France Population - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2025, the Ile-de-France region, sometimes called the Paris region, was the most populous in France. It is located in the northern part of France, divided into eight departments and crossed by the Seine River. The region contains Paris, its large suburbs, and several rural areas. The total population in metropolitan France was estimated at around ** million inhabitants. In the DOM (Overseas Department), France had more than *** million citizens spread over the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, and the South American territory of French Guiana. Ile-de-France: the most populous region in France According to the source, more than ** million French citizens lived in the Ile-de-France region. Ile-de-France was followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie region which is in the Southern part of the country. Ile-de-France is not only the most populated region in France, it is also the French region with the highest population density. In 2020, there were ******* residents per square kilometer in Ile-de-France compared to ***** for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the second most populated region in France. More than two million people were living in the city of Paris in 2025. Thus, the metropolitan area outside the city of Paris, called the suburbs or banlieue in French, had more than ten million inhabitants. Ile-de-France concentrates the majority of the country’s economic and political activities. An urban population In 2024, the total population of France amounted to over 68 million. The population in the country has increased since the mid-2000s. As well as the other European countries, France is experiencing urbanization. In 2023, more than ** percent of the French population lived in cities. This phenomenon shapes France’s geography.

This statistic shows the population distribution in France on January 1st, 2025, by age group. In 2025, people aged under 15 accounted for 16.7 percent of the total French population, whereas around 10 percent of the population were 75 years and older. By comparison, the number of members of the population over the age of 65 years has increased even more prominently, reaching 14.57 million in 2025. The number of people living in France has been steadily increasing since 1982, exceeding 68 million in 2025, having thus grown by seven percent during that time.

Prepared by ICPSR under a project to automate major portions of the Statistique Generale de la France, this is a collection of demographic, social, education, economic, population, and vital statistics data for France, 1833-1925. This conversion project is a continuation of one conducted in 1972, for which a similar data collection was created, SOCIAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, AND EDUCATIONAL DATA FOR FRANCE, 1801-1897 (ICPSR 0048). The project to collect and prepare these data was sponsored by two French and two American groups: ICPSR and the Center for Western European Studies at the University of Michigan, and the Fourth and Sixth Sections of the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes and Conseil National de la Recherches Scientifique in France. Both collections include data recorded at the departement, arrondissement, chef-lieu, and ville level. In this collection, materials from the vital statistics series were prepared for selected years rather than for each year in the period from 1900-1925. The years that were chosen clustered around the quinquennial censuses and also included (because of the violent demographic dislocations produced by World War I) each year in the 1914-1919 period. In addition, some vital statistics for the nineteenth century (1836-1850, 1880, and 1892) obtained from fugitive published volumes that could not be located during the course of the 1972 project were prepared. The 136 datasets in this collection contain: (1) French population, economic, and social data obtained from the quenquennial censuses of 1901, 1906, 1911, and 1921, that detail the composition of the population by categories of age, sex, nativity, marital status, religion, place of residence, and occupation, (2) industrial census data for the years 1861-1896, (3) data on primary education in France for 1833, 1901, and 1906, as well as data on secondary and higher education in France for the years 1836-1850, 1880, and 1892, and (4) data from a separate series of annual vital statistics (Mouvement de la Population) that cover the years 1836-1850, 1892, and 1900-1925, citing births, deaths, and marriages in the nation.

France - Population was 68635943.00 persons for December of 2025, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on August of 2025. Historically, France - Population reached a record high of 68635943.00 persons in December of 2025 and a record low of 64978721.00 persons in December of 2011.

In 1801 the population of France was estimated to be just under 20 million people, the number of women was 14 million, whereas the number of men was 13.3 million. The gap then widens in 1821 to 0.9 million, which is most likely a result of the Napoleonic Wars, and it then narrows during the rest of the century, shrinking to just 0.04 million in 1866.

Throughout the time shown in the graph the numbers of men and women seem to follow similar trends, however the period between 1911 and 1946 shows how drastically the numbers of men were affected by both World Wars. Between 1911 and 1921 the number of men dropped by 0.8 million, whereas the number of women grew by 0.4 million. The male population does grow again during the interwar years, however both populations drop between 1931 and 1946 due to the Second World War, with the number of males decreasing by just under one million and the number of females by 0.4 million. This graph does not show how many died in France during the wars, as the numbers would also be influenced by the birth and natural death rate, but it does give an insight into the long term affects it had on the population.

From 1946 onwards the population of France does grow steadily, and at a much faster rate than it did in the 19th century. The population grows from just under 40 million in 1946, to 65.7 million in 2020, with 31.2 and 33.2 million men and women respectively. This increase in growth comes as a result of an increased fertility rate as well as an increased rate of migration into the country. While the difference in the number of men and women did decrease after the war, reaching its lowest point of 1.1 million in 1975, the gap has widened again to over two million in 2020.

France - Population as a % of EU population was 15.20% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Population as a % of EU population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on August of 2025. Historically, France - Population as a % of EU population reached a record high of 15.30% in December of 2023 and a record low of 14.80% in December of 2012.

This statistic shows the total population of France from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population of France amounted to 68.44 million people. See the population of Italy for comparison. France's population Although the total French population has annually increased, population growth has been in a slump from 2006 to 2012. However, the decrease of population growth is seemingly irrelative to births in the country, primarily because France’s fertility rate has remained relatively steady over the past decade, based on information from 2011. Yearly population growth could potentially be attributed to a positive lifestyle in the country and a steady economic growth. France is ranked in the top 30 countries with the highest Human Development Index , also known as HDI, which is determined based on life expectancy at birth, literacy rate, education levels and gross national income per capita. France, in this case, was ranked 12th out of the top 20 countries with the highest life expectancy in 2011. From an economic standpoint, France has remained stable, despite several complications within the European Union. Since the 2008 financial crisis, France’s unemployment rate has increased and has experienced several swings year-to-year up until 2014. However, despite fluctuating unemployment rates, GDP growth has very slightly been on the rise on a yearly basis, ever since experiencing a dramatic drop in 2009. Additionally, the GDP itself has continuously been fluctuating since 2008), after enduring a continuous increase in the years prior.

France FR: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 0.715 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.728 % for 2016. France FR: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.808 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.304 % in 1963 and a record low of 0.313 % in 1991. France FR: Urban Population Growth 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. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Paris, France metro area from 1950 to 2025.

France FR: Population: Growth data was reported at 0.386 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.399 % for 2016. France FR: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.570 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.412 % in 1962 and a record low of 0.079 % in 1991. France FR: Population: Growth 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. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (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;

FR: Population: as % of Total: Male data was reported at 49.167 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 49.152 % for 2016. FR: Population: as % of Total: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 49.085 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.324 % in 1977 and a record low of 48.639 % in 1960. FR: Population: as % of Total: Male 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: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population is the percentage of the population that is male. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for France (SPPOP65UPTOZSFRA) from 1960 to 2024 about 65-years +, France, and population.

France - Population, aged 15-74 was 48007.70 Thousand in December of 2021, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Population, aged 15-74 - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, France - Population, aged 15-74 reached a record high of 48054.60 Thousand in December of 2020 and a record low of 41598.40 Thousand in December of 1995.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 25 to 54 Years for France (LFWA25TTFRQ647S) from Q1 2003 to Q1 2025 about 25 to 54 years, working-age, France, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 55 to 64 Years for France (LFWA55TTFRA647S) from 2003 to 2024 about 55 to 64 years, working-age, France, and population.