Recent Demographic Developments in France: Seasonal Patterns of Births, Deaths, Unions, and Migration
Collection : Demographic situation
2018On 1 January 2018, the population of France stood at 66.9 million – 122,300 more than the previous year, though mean annual growth and especially natural growth were the lowest they have been in 20 years. Total fertility continued to fall, particularly among the youngest women. The number of residence permits issued rose in 2016 (to about 220,000). Marriages of both opposite- and same-sex couples continued to fall. Mortality fell once again in 2017, but there were over 600,000 deaths, reflecting the ageing of the population. The causes of death that show the most worrying trends are cancer in women, mental disorders, and diseases of the nervous system. Demographic events are spread unevenly through the year: marriages and the start of consensual unions happen most often in spring and summer, births in summer and autumn, immigrant arrivals also in summer and autumn, while the winter is marked by a resurgence of civil union registrations and peaks in mortality.
