Insee Première · January 2022 · n° 1889

Demography report 2021 Fertility increased very slightly despite the Covid-19 pandemic

On 1 January 2022, the population of France was 67,8 million. In 2021, the population increased by 0.3%. The natural balance (+81,000 people) was higher than in 2020, but lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021, 738,000 babies were born in France, 3,000 more than in 2020: the drop in the number of births at the beginning of the year, nine months after the first lockdown in spring 2020, was then balanced by an increase. After a decline between 2015 and 2020, the total fertility rate rose slightly in 2021 to 1.83 children per woman.

In 2021, 657,000 people died in France, 12,000 fewer than in 2020, but 44,000 more than in 2019. Life expectancy at birth was 85.4 years for women and 79.3 years for men: above from 2020, after it had fallen sharply due to the pandemic, but still below the level of 2019.

In 2021, 220,000 marriages were celebrated, 42% more than in 2020, when the pandemic prevented or postponed celebrations.