France recorded 645,000 births and 651,000 deaths in 2025. For the first time since the end of World War II, France’s natural population balance has turned negative, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE)’s annual demographic report, presented on Tuesday, January 13. The country’s current population, which now stands at 69.1 million people, has mainly risen due to the migration balance.

Although the reversal of the natural balance trend was expected, it nonetheless represents a real turning point, and it should come as a wake-up call for political leaders. The combination of a sustained decline in fertility and persistently high mortality, which is set to continue, and even rise, over the coming years, goes hand in hand with another fact: an aging population.