Demographic balance sheet 2024
The demographic report contains:
- The population of France estimated on 1st January of each year;
- The civil status events (births, deaths, marriages, Pacs);
- The main demographic indicators (fertility, mortality).
Population Demographic balance sheet 2024 - Retrospective tables
Download all tables from this section
Download tables individually
Sources
Population estimates for France on 1st January are based on several sources. For years in which the population census is available (for the 2024 Demographic balance sheet, until 2022 for France excluding Mayotte and until 2017 for Mayotte), the population level on 1st January of year N is directly derived from the census of year N; for subsequent years, the (provisional) population on 1st January of year N is obtained by adding to the population on 1st January of year N-1 the natural balance of year N-1, the net migration of year N-1 and, for France excluding Mayotte, some statistical adjustments.
A statistical adjustment was introduced in 2018 to take into account the renovation of the population census questionnaire and measure population changes with unchanged questioning. A new adjustment is introduced for 2020 and 2021 to take into account the changes in the census collection protocol and exceptional demographic changes due to the health crisis. A detailed explanation is available on insee.fr (in French only). The population change and net migration figures for 2020, considered as definitive in the 2023 Demographic Report, are exceptionally revised.
The natural balance is estimated with civil status statistics on births and deaths produced by Insee. Data are definitive until 2023 and estimated for 2024 [cf. documentation on methodology].
The net migration is measured indirectly as the difference between, on the one hand, the change in population level between two successive years and, on the other hand, the natural balance and any statistical adjustments. Changes in net migration may reflect fluctuations in the number of people entering and leaving the territory, but also the random fluctuations in the census sampling. Net migration is thus measured until the year preceding the latest available census (in this case, 2021). Beyond that, it is conventionally set at the average of the last three known balances for France excluding Mayotte, and at the average level over 2012-2017 for Mayotte.
Compared to the 2023 Demographic Report, the population level in 2022 is made definitive (revision of +0.2%) and those of 2023 and 2024 are revised by respectively +0.2% and +0.1%; the number of births and deaths in 2023 is now definitive, as well as demographic indicators (total fertility rate, life expectancy, etc.) for the year 2021.
The data for the European Union covers the 27 countries currently members of the EU27. They were extracted on 14 November 2024 from the Eurostat website.
Sources used:
Demographic indicators used:
Définitions
The conjunctural age at childbirth is an age calculated for a fictitious generation of women who would have at each age the fertility observed for women of the same age in the year considered.
The natural balance is the difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths recorded during a period.
The net migration is the difference between the number of persons having entered in the territory and the number of persons having left the territory during a period.
The fertility rate at a given age is the number of children born alive to women of that age during the year as a proportion of the average annual population of women of the same age.
The total fertility rate is the sum of fertility rates by age observed a given year. It corresponds to the number of children a woman would have throughout her life if the fertility rates observed in the year considered at each age remained unchanged.
The infant mortality rate is the ratio between the number of children dead before their first birthday during the year and the number of live births recorded during the same year.
Life expectancy at birth represents the average life span of a fictitious generation that would be subject at each to the mortality conditions observed in the year considered. It is a special case of life expectancy at age x, i.e. the average number of years remaining to live beyond this age x under mortality conditions by age of the year considered.
The rate of population change in a given year corresponds to the sum of the natural balance and the net migration divided by the population on 1st January of that year.
Champ
Data are available in two fields: "Metropolitan France" and "France".
The islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, formerly included in the island of Guadeloupe, have changed their administrative status since 15 July 2007 and have become overseas collectivities. Since then, they became out of the "France" field. To prevent a field break in the series, they have been excluded from the "France" field for all years broadcast. The island of Mayotte, which has become an overseas department, is included in the "France" field since 2014. Data concerning Mayotte are not included in the "France" field for previous years.
Learn more
Insee, Life expectancies, interactive tool, January 2025.
Insee, Age pyramids, interactive tool, January 2025.
Robert-Bobée I., Tavan C. « L’espérance de vie, un calcul certes fictif mais très utile », Le blog de l'Insee, January 2025 (in French only).
Athari E., Papon S., Robert-Bobée I., « Quarante ans d’évolution de la démographie française : le vieillissement de la population s’accélère avec l’avancée en âge des baby-boomers », in France, portrait social, coll. « Insee Références », edition 2019 (in French only).