Insee Première · April 2023 · n° 1943

30,000 centenarians in France in 2023, nearly 30 times more than in 1970

In 2023, 30,000 centenarians live in France, nearly 30 times more than in the 1960-1975 period. Only 4,300 of them are men, or 14% of centenarians. Half of centenarians still live at home, the others live in institutions. Centenarian men, who are more often in a couple, live at home more often than women.

Becoming a centenarian is much more common among tertiary education graduates than among those without a diploma: among women aged 70 to 75 in 1990, 7% of tertiary education graduates reached the age of 100, compared with 3% of those without a diploma.

For every 1,000 people aged 60 in 1980, 21 have become centenarians in 2020, which places France in first place in Europe. The probability of reaching the age of 100 is expected to continue to increase. According to the central scenario of the population projections, which extends recent trends, 6% of women and 2% of men born in 1940 would become centenarians. In 2040, France could have 76,000 centenarians.