66,9 million inhabitants in France despite the decline in fertility

In 2016, France recorded a decline in fertility for the second consecutive year, while life expectancy rose. At 1^er January 2017, the country had 66,9 million inhabitants, INSEE announced on Tuesday.

The population in mainland France and in the five overseas departments increased by 265.000 inhabitants in one year (+0,4%), a growth mainly due to the excess of births compared to deaths.

At '8.000, this natural balance is the weakest for 40 years but it remains the main driver of growth demographic, ahead of the migratory balance (+67.000), underlined during a press conference Marie Reynaud, of the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.

During the past year, births fell again (-14.000 after -20.000 in 2015). The number of babies born in France fell to the level of '99, without however reaching the low point of '94.

This change is explained by a reduction in fertility for the second consecutive year: in 2015, it fell below the symbolic threshold of two children per woman, after eight years of relative stability, this indicator stood at 1,93. However, it remains well above the '93 low.

The recent decline is more marked among women aged 25 to 29. "Previously, this trend was offset by the increase in fertility among older women", but we now observe stability among those over 35, explained Ms.^me Reynaud.

This slowdown in births is also due to a decrease in the number of women of childbearing age. The most fertile, between the ages of 20 and 40, have in fact been fewer and fewer since the mid-90s, because women born during the baby boom (1946-1974) have gradually left this age group.

- Fewer same-sex marriages -

 

Even if INSEE considered it premature to speak of a "trend" in the fall of fertility, Unaf (National Union of Family Associations) saw in these figures the "confirmation of its fears". “Nine years of economic crisis, as well as an unstable and cropped family policy since 2008 have most certainly contributed to modifying parental projects,” said its president, Marie-André Blanc, to AFP.

According to an Ifop poll for the Manif pour tous published in La Croix, 55% of French people think that "the family policy of recent years is likely to lead couples to give up a new birth or to postpone it".

"Fertility remains high in France despite everything," said INSEE. In 2015, France remained the most fertile country in the European Union, just ahead of Ireland and far ahead of Portugal, the least fertile country.

Another important lesson from the 2016 demographic report was an increase in life expectancy at birth, which erased the decrease recorded the previous year. Women can expect to live 85,4 years and men 79,3 years.

The number of deaths fell by 7000 (-1%) compared to 2015, a year which had been marked by a very sharp increase due to episodes of influenza and heat waves.

Beyond these fluctuations, we remain rather in the upward trend started in the early 2010s, due to the arrival at the ages of high mortality of the first generations of the baby boom, underlined INSEE.

The French population continues to age: nearly one inhabitant in five is 65 or older.

Finally, a total of 235.000 marriages were celebrated in 2016. The number of heterosexual unions remained stable, while those between people of the same sex fell from 500 to 7000, or 3% of marriages.

Source (s): Boursorama.com with Afp via Anonymous Contributor

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