Focus on

Recent Demographic Developments in France (2017)

Demographic events are spread unevenly through the year.

Recent Demographic Developments in France: Marked Differences between Départements

On 1 January 2017, the population of France was just below 67 million.

Recent demographic developments in France (2014)

The third-quarter of the journal "Population" for 2016 includes an article on recent demographic developments in France (2014).

Abortion in France (2011)

Every year approximately 200,000 abortions are done in France. Nearly 40 years after the practice was legalized in that country, the number of abortions is stable: fewer women are having abortions but repeat abortions (the same woman having more than one abortion) are increasing.

When do girls start to menstruate ?

In France, first menstruation or "menarche" occurs at around age 13. According to a survey conducted in 1994, half of all girls had already started menstruating at age 13. Most girls (9 out of 10) have their first period between ages 11 and 14.

Selective abortion in Asia

On average, 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. However, in China, India and several other Asian and Caucasian countries, the proportion of newborn boys is abnormally high because couples practice sex-selective abortion.

France Conjuncture (2011)

The 2011 rise in France’s population (+ 332,000 inhabitants) was very close to the one for 2010 and is still primarily due to natural increase.

The demograpy of France’s overseas departments (DOMs), 2011

The demographic situation in France’s overseas departments (DOMs): differences with metropolitan France

The family name given to children born in 2012

Since the law no. 2002-304 of 4 March 2002 applicable to children born since January 2005, parents can now choose between four options for their child’s family name

Abortion around the world: An overview of legislation, measures, trends and consequences

Access to abortion around the world is highly unequal. In African and Latin American countries access may be restricted to particular causes of pregnancy or totally outlawed.

Fifty years of legal contraception in France: diffusion, medicalization, feminization

Fifty years ago, on 19 December 1967, in response to strong mobilization by the French Family Planning Movement, the parliamentarian Lucien Neuwirth persuaded the National Assembly to pass a law authorizing the sale and use of contraception methods in France.

Fertility and public policy: a comparison of France and Italy in tribute to Valeria Solesin’s thesis work

Prevalence of breastfeeding in French maternity clinics

Seven in ten women breastfeed their babies at the maternity clinic, according to the first findings of the ELFE study, which is following over 18,000 children born in 2011.

Contraception across the world (2011)

Around 63% of women of reproductive age who are married or in a union use a contraceptive method. The most widespread method worldwide is sterilization.

The fall of fecundity with age

In the last 30 years, the average age at which women have their first child has been rising regularly in France, as in most European countries.

The ECAF survey

The ECAF survey (Emergency Contraception in Africa) was conducted in 2006-2007 in three countries of West Africa-Senegal and Burkina Faso (French-speaking) and Ghana (English-speaking)-and the North African country of Morocco (French-speaking)

France’s twin birth boom

The number of twin births in France has almost doubled in the last 40 years. Why? What are the effects?

Family policy in France

The contribution of France’s set of family policies to the country’s healthy fertility rate is once again in the spotlight in two recently published reports

Fertility along the Paris Metro

What metro line(s) show(s) the highest fertility rate in 2012 and the highest average age of mothers at baby’s birth?
A study by John Tomkinson, former PhD student at INED.

The situation of student parents in France

Becoming a parent while studying thus seems socially unthinkable, and the French educational system today does not really take account the fact that some students are parents.

Men have children later than women

Des différences d’âge dans les comportements de fécondité apparaissent entre hommes et femmes

Demographic report 2013: slightly lower natural surplus

According to INSEE, the French statistical office, the population of France on 1 January 2014 stood at 66.0 million, of which 63.9 million live in metropolitan France and 2.1 million in the overseas départements.

Abortion across the world

In 2014, about 56 millions abortions were performed accross the world. Slightly under half were high-risk abortions.

China, a demographic giant with feet of clay

China, the world’s largest country in terms of population, is now a predominant player on the international economic and geopolitical stage.

Intended and realized fertility: France and Italy compared

Within Europe, France and Italy stand virtually opposed in terms of fertility: women in France have 2 children on average, as against 1.4 in Italy. The difference is explained in part by the fact that women in Italy have their first child at a later age

Women Who Give Birth "Secretly"

France is the only Western country, apart from Luxembourg, Italy and the Czech Republic, where the law allows women to request that their identity be kept secret and withheld from their child’s birth certificate

Recent Demographic Developments in France (2017)

Demographic events are spread unevenly through the year.

Farewell Life, Farewell Love

Le numéro 3 de la revue Population de 2018 présente, dans son avant-propos, une analyse des inégalités de temps de survie chez les soldats "Morts pour la France" durant la Grande Guerre

Mortality is falling in the global South but inequalities persist

In an article published in Population (2017-3), Dominique Tabutin and Bruno Masquelier assess mortality trends since 1990.

Mortality has fallen since 1950, but for whom?

Mortality fell considerably in the 20th century in western countries, but the decrease was neither regular nor continuous.

Suicide in prison in France

In France, suicide is seven times more frequent among prisoners than in the general population. Which inmates are most vulnerable?

Infant mortality in France

In the past, it was very common for babies to die before their first birthday. Today infant mortality in France is very low. In 2013, fewer than four newborns (3,5) in 1,000 died before the age of one.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) France

Female genital mutilation is practiced on girls in many countries. Some migrant women or daughters of migrants living in France are having to endure the consequences of this practice.
Photo : © IRD - Favier, Marie-Noëlle

Mortality in France (2010)

The number of deaths in 2011 is provisionally estimated at 545,100 for France as a whole: 534,000 deaths in metropolitan France and 11,000 in the country’s overseas départements

The demograpy of France’s overseas departments (DOMs), 2011

The demographic situation in France’s overseas departments (DOMs): differences with metropolitan France

Fifth « Rencontres de la Démo » conference

The conference was held at INED in December 2018 for the fifth year running; the topic was bioethics in France. Challenges and concerns.

Informal support for dependent older persons in France: understanding individual and family caregiving behaviors in order to adapt the welfare system

In 2011, 80% of persons aged 60 or older and at least partially dependent receive informal support from a family member.

Silicosis, a 21st century scourge from the remote past : between medicine, business and politics

Silicosis can only progress at fast pace, in relationship with the industrialization of emerging countries.

Recent demographic developments in France (2014)

The third-quarter of the journal "Population" for 2016 includes an article on recent demographic developments in France (2014).

Abortion in France (2011)

Every year approximately 200,000 abortions are done in France. Nearly 40 years after the practice was legalized in that country, the number of abortions is stable: fewer women are having abortions but repeat abortions (the same woman having more than one abortion) are increasing.

Human longevity

Though rare fifty years ago, 100th birthdays are now common. Perspectives concerning human longevity

The current situation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic - 2013

According to UNAIDS estimates for the year 2012, 35.3 million persons are infected with the HIV virus worldwide and there were 2.3 million new infections and 1.6 million deaths that year.

French end-of-life survey

Although nearly 2 out of 3 people die in hospital, an analysis of trajectories during the last month of life gives a more nuanced picture.

Inégalités de santé à Ouagadougou

No study has yet approached the question of how those health burdens are distributed across the different social strata of a single African city.

Recent Demographic Developments in France: Marked Differences between Départements

On 1 January 2017, the population of France was just below 67 million.

Mortality among immigrants in France

The project about “Mortality among immigrants in France” was developed as part of a partnership between INED and the Population Study Center of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). It is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the period 2015-2019.

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

Overview and Current Knowledge

Demographic report 2013: slightly lower natural surplus

According to INSEE, the French statistical office, the population of France on 1 January 2014 stood at 66.0 million, of which 63.9 million live in metropolitan France and 2.1 million in the overseas départements.

Length of life in France

The mean length of life has more than tripled in France over the last two and a half centuries, from 25 years in 1740 to more than 80 years today.

France Conjuncture (2011)

The 2011 rise in France’s population (+ 332,000 inhabitants) was very close to the one for 2010 and is still primarily due to natural increase.

Life expectancy in Europe

In 2008 an east-west divide cut through the European life expectancy map, a dividing line that became visible in the mid-1970s

Recent Demographic Developments in France (2017)

Demographic events are spread unevenly through the year.

Expérience et perception des discriminations en Île-de-France

L’observatoire régional des discriminations en Île-de-France a conduit avec l’Ined et l’institut iPSOS, en avril et mai 2015, auprès de 2500 personnes, une enquête sur les perceptions et expériences des discriminations en Île-de-France.

Recent demographic developments in France (2014)

The third-quarter of the journal "Population" for 2016 includes an article on recent demographic developments in France (2014).

How are inequalities in academic performance constructed over the course of schooling?

Demographic report 2013: slightly lower natural surplus

According to INSEE, the French statistical office, the population of France on 1 January 2014 stood at 66.0 million, of which 63.9 million live in metropolitan France and 2.1 million in the overseas départements.

France Conjuncture (2011)

The 2011 rise in France’s population (+ 332,000 inhabitants) was very close to the one for 2010 and is still primarily due to natural increase.

Immigrants’ children at school

Mathieu Ichou’s analysis of the academic performances of immigrant’s children, who in France account for nearly one-fourth of pupils, gives us a new sociological perspective on this fundamental social concern.

Mortality among immigrants in France

The project about “Mortality among immigrants in France” was developed as part of a partnership between INED and the Population Study Center of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). It is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the period 2015-2019.

Environmental migrations: a certainty in the future?

It is frequently claimed that more and more migrations will result from environmental changes caused by global warming.

Analysing the educational trajectories of the second generation in France

How are migration and the environment connected?

In recent decades, the increase in the number of natural disasters and their media impact have led to a growing awareness of the connections between migration and the environment.

Dual nationality and national identity

French law permits dual nationality and does not require foreigners who obtain French nationality to give up their original one.

Recent Demographic Developments in France: Marked Differences between Départements

On 1 January 2017, the population of France was just below 67 million.

Third « Rencontres de la Démo » conference

The conference was held at INED in December 2016 for the third year running; the topic was migration.

Religiosity dynamics among immigrants and their descendants in France

Migration worldwide

Over 258 million people in the world do not live in the country in which they were born. These people, called international migrants, represent approximately 3.4% of the world’s population.

Germany and its minorities, or surprises of the census of 2011

On 31 May 2013, Destatis, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, announced the first findings of the census conducted two years earlier

Women in the immigrant population

The immigrant population of metropolitan France -that is, persons born non-French outside France-has been predominantly female for the last few years.

Increasingly unequal levels of home ownership between poor and wealthy young households in France

Drawing on INSEE’s Housing surveys, the authors analyze growing disparities in first home purchases among young households (couples aged 25-44) over the long period from 1973 to 2013 in metropolitan France.

Environmental migrations: a certainty in the future?

It is frequently claimed that more and more migrations will result from environmental changes caused by global warming.

The homeless in France

It is difficult to count people who have no home, especially if they have no place of shelter at all and are sleeping in the street. To learn more about them, INSEE and INED conducted several surveys with users of shelters and free meal services. The surveys have found a considerable increase in the number of homeless in France since 2001.

Germany and its minorities, or surprises of the census of 2011

On 31 May 2013, Destatis, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, announced the first findings of the census conducted two years earlier

We never name; we classify.

Chaque année, plusieurs centaines de milliers d'élèves de Terminale passent le bac. Devenu un véritable rite de passage national, le bac concerne plus des trois quart d'une génération mais n'est pas un rite égalitaire.

How are inequalities in academic performance constructed over the course of schooling?

Poorly housed Parisians

Paris still has a certain amount of dilapidated, unhealthy housing

Germany twenty years later

In 1989 Germany was divided into two parts of different sizes: 64 million people lived in the western side and 16 million in the eastern side.

Having a wash outside the home. A survey of users of City of Paris public bathing facilities (bains-douches)

Homeownership in France

Nearly six in ten households own their home in France. Homeownership rose considerably after World War II, then came to a standstill in the mid-1980s. Today, an increasing share of the population is finding it hard to buy a home.

How are migration and the environment connected?

In recent decades, the increase in the number of natural disasters and their media impact have led to a growing awareness of the connections between migration and the environment.

Flemings and Walloons

The political and social history of Belgium has never been smooth or tranquil. A long period of territorial annexations was followed by the Revolution of 1830, which led to the creation of a centralized state in the form of a parliamentary monarchy.

Fourth « Rencontres de la Démo » conference

The conference was held at INED in December 2017 for the fourth year running; the topic was gender studies today.

“Gender: history, inequalities”: a set of book reviews published in Population, 2016-3 and 2016-4

Defined as “a hierarchically ordered bi-categorization of the sexes (men/women) and the values and representations associated with them (masculine/feminine)” (Bereni et al. 2012), gender is an increasingly high-profile subject in today’s academic world as well as in the media, politics, civil society and community organizations.

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

Overview and Current Knowledge

World Atlas of Women

Twenty years after the last international conference on women, held in Beijing in 1995, has women’s overall situation really improved? The “Atlas Mondial des Femmes” brings to light “paradoxes of emancipation” in such diverse areas as education, health, the economy, politics and sexuality. In addition to marked geographical disparities, many advances in the direction of equality are found to be fragile, incomplete or paradoxical.

Selective abortion in Asia

On average, 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. However, in China, India and several other Asian and Caucasian countries, the proportion of newborn boys is abnormally high because couples practice sex-selective abortion.

Difficulties in measuring same-sex parenting

Research in this field is based on legal approaches or qualitativesociology, but same-sex parenting is still difficult to quantify due to a lack of suitable tools.

Gender, pay and career advancement

Quel dialogue possible entre les entreprises et les chercheurs ? L’Ined a noué des partenariats avec des entreprises pour saisir les mécanismes de production des inégalités professionnelles entre femmes et hommes.

Mortality has fallen since 1950, but for whom?

Mortality fell considerably in the 20th century in western countries, but the decrease was neither regular nor continuous.

Official same-sex unions in France (2014)

The annual total number of marriages in France in 2014 was higher than the 2013 figure due to same-sex unions. The number of different-sex marriages dropped slightly.

Same-sex couples in the census

Several European Union countries have legalised same-sex marriage or created new forms of civil union open to gays and lesbians. But counting same-sex couples is still a complicated undertaking

Overlapping boundaries between work and domestic life

For women and men alike, the working sphere and the private sphere are not entirely separate. There are intrusions in both directions: work encroaches on the domestic sphere and similarly, private life spills over into the workplace. This overlap sometimes leads to better organization but can also be a source of tension.

China, a demographic giant with feet of clay

China, the world’s largest country in terms of population, is now a predominant player on the international economic and geopolitical stage.

Sectors of Activity and Occupations of Gays and Lesbians in a Union

This study, published in Population (2017-3) and based on the 2011 Families and Housing Survey.

Marriages, civil unions (PACS), divorce: three recent changes in France

The 2016-3 issue of Population presents and assesses demographic developments in these life events in France in 2014.

The effect of masculinization of births on the marriage market

By 2050 in China and India, the number of single men seeking to marry is expected to exceed the number of eligible women by over 50%. This suggests the degree of marriage market saturation.

Age at first sexual intercourse in France

At age 17, about half of French teenagers have experienced their first sexual intercourse. With a median age of 17.2 for women and of 16.4 for men in 2010, the gap between the sexes has narrowed to just a few months.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) France

Female genital mutilation is practiced on girls in many countries. Some migrant women or daughters of migrants living in France are having to endure the consequences of this practice.
Photo : © IRD - Favier, Marie-Noëlle

VIRAGE survey

In 2009, the taskforce for assessing French national policy for preventing and combating violence against women (Mission d’Evaluation de la Politique de Prévention et de Lutte contre les Violences faites aux Femmes), a body working under the aegis of/a commission of France’s National Assembly, recommended conducting a new survey on violence against women that would modelled be on the national survey on the same issue done in 2000 by the demographic institute of the Université Paris I (ENVEFF)

Socioeconomic inequalities and two-year-old children’s language and motor development

Differences by parents’ socioeconomic milieu may be observed from the child’s earliest years.

French longitudinal study from birth: an unprecedented look at child learning in the first year of elementary school in France

French youth policy: critical analysis and recommendations

Stéphane Carcillo (OECD, Sciences Po), Claire Guichet (CESE, Paris II, CERSA), Bruno Palier (CNRS and Sciences Po) and Olivier Thévenon (OECD and INED) shared their answers to this question at a round table discussion at INED on May 27, the closing event of the Demographic Economy unit research day on transitions to adulthood. The following is a summary of their remarks.

When do girls start to menstruate ?

In France, first menstruation or "menarche" occurs at around age 13. According to a survey conducted in 1994, half of all girls had already started menstruating at age 13. Most girls (9 out of 10) have their first period between ages 11 and 14.

The fall of fecundity with age

In the last 30 years, the average age at which women have their first child has been rising regularly in France, as in most European countries.

Informal support for dependent older persons in France: understanding individual and family caregiving behaviors in order to adapt the welfare system

In 2011, 80% of persons aged 60 or older and at least partially dependent receive informal support from a family member.

The place of children in the ELFE study

The ELFE study centres on childhood at this stage, then it is natural to have them communicate directly through computer games, an appropriate medium for their age and generation.

Prevalence of breastfeeding in French maternity clinics

Seven in ten women breastfeed their babies at the maternity clinic, according to the first findings of the ELFE study, which is following over 18,000 children born in 2011.

Age at first sexual intercourse in France

At age 17, about half of French teenagers have experienced their first sexual intercourse. With a median age of 17.2 for women and of 16.4 for men in 2010, the gap between the sexes has narrowed to just a few months.

China, a demographic giant with feet of clay

China, the world’s largest country in terms of population, is now a predominant player on the international economic and geopolitical stage.

Institute for the study of longevity, ageing, and the different situations of older persons

Longevity, ageing and the situations of older persons are major social, health, quality-of-life and public policy issues in today’s society, issues that require a multi-disciplinary human and social sciences (HHS) approach if we are to grasp how the questions they raise are interrelated.

Mortality has fallen since 1950, but for whom?

Mortality fell considerably in the 20th century in western countries, but the decrease was neither regular nor continuous.

The age of puberty in boys

Boys reach puberty at around 15 years—later than girls, who usually begin menstruating around age 13.

Human longevity

Though rare fifty years ago, 100th birthdays are now common. Perspectives concerning human longevity

Demographic ageing in Europe...

The geography of ageing in Europe has changed and will continue changing. Following World War II, the oldest population in Europe was in Western Europe and this remained the case into the 1980s

World population prospects

The effect of masculinization of births on the marriage market

By 2050 in China and India, the number of single men seeking to marry is expected to exceed the number of eligible women by over 50%. This suggests the degree of marriage market saturation.

Abortion across the world

In 2014, about 56 millions abortions were performed accross the world. Slightly under half were high-risk abortions.

Germany and its minorities, or surprises of the census of 2011

On 31 May 2013, Destatis, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, announced the first findings of the census conducted two years earlier

The current situation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic - 2013

According to UNAIDS estimates for the year 2012, 35.3 million persons are infected with the HIV virus worldwide and there were 2.3 million new infections and 1.6 million deaths that year.

The ECAF survey

The ECAF survey (Emergency Contraception in Africa) was conducted in 2006-2007 in three countries of West Africa-Senegal and Burkina Faso (French-speaking) and Ghana (English-speaking)-and the North African country of Morocco (French-speaking)

Environmental migrations: a certainty in the future?

It is frequently claimed that more and more migrations will result from environmental changes caused by global warming.

Migration worldwide

Over 258 million people in the world do not live in the country in which they were born. These people, called international migrants, represent approximately 3.4% of the world’s population.

Selective abortion in Asia

On average, 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. However, in China, India and several other Asian and Caucasian countries, the proportion of newborn boys is abnormally high because couples practice sex-selective abortion.

Germany twenty years later

In 1989 Germany was divided into two parts of different sizes: 64 million people lived in the western side and 16 million in the eastern side.

China, a demographic giant with feet of clay

China, the world’s largest country in terms of population, is now a predominant player on the international economic and geopolitical stage.

The demograpy of France’s overseas departments (DOMs), 2011

The demographic situation in France’s overseas departments (DOMs): differences with metropolitan France

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

Overview and Current Knowledge

Contraception across the world (2011)

Around 63% of women of reproductive age who are married or in a union use a contraceptive method. The most widespread method worldwide is sterilization.

How are migration and the environment connected?

In recent decades, the increase in the number of natural disasters and their media impact have led to a growing awareness of the connections between migration and the environment.

Flemings and Walloons

The political and social history of Belgium has never been smooth or tranquil. A long period of territorial annexations was followed by the Revolution of 1830, which led to the creation of a centralized state in the form of a parliamentary monarchy.

Demographic situation of Canada and the United-States

Since the early 1980s, the demography of Canada and the United States has been quite dynamic.