On 1 January 2013, the population of France was 65.8 million, of which 63.7 million in metropolitan France, an increase of more than 0.4% with respect to the previous year. The number of adults who received a long-term residence permit in 2012 remained relatively stable. The majority are young women. Fertility remained unchanged with respect to the previous year, but as the proportion of women of reproductive age is falling, the number of births fell slightly in 2012. Age-specific fertility rates changed little, although fertility in the 35-39 age group continued to increase. Births outside marriage are increasing, and 57% of children born in 2012 were registered to unmarried parents. The number of induced abortions remained stable in 2012, with little change in the total abortion rate or in age-specific rates. After years of steady decline, provisional figures suggest that the number of marriages increased slightly in 2012. Marriage is still highly seasonal and the vast majority of weddings take place between June and September. Progress in life expectancy slowed in 2012 due to a series of winter epidemics. The number of deaths increased by more than 4% between 2011 and 2012.
