Infant mortality, already low in France since 2003, has decreased. That year, out of 1,000 children born, four died before the age of one. The rate has dropped over the years before reaching its lowest level in 2011, 2012, and 2014, with 3.3. However, the rate has been increasing again in the past years, reaching its 2003 level in 2022.

The infant mortality rate in France, for children under the age of one year old, was 182 deaths per thousand births in 1830. This means that for all babies born in 1830, over eighteen percent did not survive past their first birthday. Over the course of the next two centuries, this number has dropped significantly, reaching its lowest point ever in the 2015 to 2020 period, at three deaths per thousand births. Since the turn of the twentieth century, infant mortality in France has increased just two times, once in the 1910s as a result of the First World War and Spanish Flu pandemic, and then again in the 1940s due to the Second World War.

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

Forecast: Number of Infant Deaths in France 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) in France was reported at 3.4 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

France FR: Mortality Rate: Infant: Male: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 3.700 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.800 Ratio for 2015. France FR: Mortality Rate: Infant: Male: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 3.900 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.500 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 3.700 Ratio in 2017. France FR: Mortality Rate: Infant: Male: per 1000 Live Births 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: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate, male is the number of male infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 male live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in France stood at 3.4. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 20.3, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Forecast: Infant Mortality Rate in France 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Male Infant Mortality Rate in France 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Historical dataset showing St. Martin (French part) infant mortality rate by year from N/A to N/A.

France FR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 3.900 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 3.900 Ratio for 2015. France FR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 9.600 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.500 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 3.900 Ratio in 2016. France FR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births 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: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

The child mortality rate in France, for children under the age of five, was 412 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that more than forty percent of all children born in 1800 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality remained high in the nineteenth century, before falling at a much faster rate throughout the 1900s. Despite falling consistently during the last 130 years, there were two occasions where child mortality actually increased, which can be attributed to both World Wars and the Spanish Flu Pandemic. In 2020, the child mortality rate in France is expected to be just four deaths per thousand births.

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

Forecast: Infant Mortality in France 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) in France was reported at 3.7 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

France FR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 4.200 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.300 Ratio for 2015. France FR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 4.600 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.200 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 4.200 Ratio in 2016. France FR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births 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: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, male is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn male baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to male age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted Average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Forecast: Female Infant Mortality Rate in France 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Infant Mortality Rates (No Minimum Threshold of Gestation Period or Birthweight) in France 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Number of infant deaths in France was reported at 2260 deaths in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Number of infant deaths - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Under-5 mortality rate of France remained stable at 4.3 deaths per thousand live births over the last 2 years. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates.