France population pyramid 2026
66,746,401 people in 2026 (projected). France’s pyramid still carries scars of both world wars, yet its baby boom and relatively high fertility keep the base wider than most of Europe.
- 2026 population
- 66.7Mrank 23 of 237
- Median age
- 42.5 yearsoldest rank 43
- Fertility rate
- 1.64births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older22.9% age 65+
France population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
France age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 16.0% of the population, while 22.9% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 61.1% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies France’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 63.6: about 64 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (26.1 children and 37.5 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes France’s population pyramid
Two wars, two notches
The France 1950 pyramid shows one of Europe’s clearest war deficits. People aged 30–34 that year, born in 1915–19, form a band only about two-thirds as wide as their neighbors, because births collapsed while millions of men were mobilized during the First World War. French demographers still call these the classes creuses, the hollow classes. Above age 50 the female side is visibly longer than the male side, the result of heavy military deaths in 1914–18. By 1975 the same hollow cohort had moved up to ages 55–59, and a second, shallower notch had appeared at 30–34 for births in 1940–45, during defeat and occupation.
A long baby boom and a sharp cliff above 80
France’s postwar baby boom began in 1946 and lasted into the mid-1960s, longer than in many neighboring countries. In 2026 those cohorts are aged about 60–80, and the bands from 55–59 through 75–79 remain broad. Directly above them the pyramid drops abruptly: ages 80–84, born in 1942–46, hold about 3.0% of the population against 5.0% at ages 75–79. Normal mortality explains part of that step, but the small wartime birth cohorts make it unusually steep.
Lower down, a modest notch at ages 30–34 corresponds to births in 1992–96, when French fertility reached its postwar low of about 1.7 children per woman. The slightly wider 20–24 band reflects the recovery in births around 2000. Since the mid-2010s fertility has fallen again, and the base has narrowed: ages 0–4 are now the smallest band under 80. Even so, French fertility of about 1.6 remains above that of Germany or Italy, a contrast visible in the Germany vs France comparison. For a general view of how such shapes evolve, see constrictive population pyramids.
Under the UN medium scenario France grows slightly to about 68 million by 2050 and then levels off, with a median age near 43.5 and the oldest bands markedly broader than today.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so France’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2027. People aged 65 and older came to outnumber children under 15 between 2010 and 2015.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, France is projected to record 633,972 births (about one birth every 50 seconds) and 631,107 deaths, a natural increase of 2,865. Net migration adds +88,533 people, ranking #65 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 18,160,542 births, 13,696,887 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +2,758,322. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +2,549,346 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 86.4 years69.2 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 80.9 years63.4 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 22.3 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 3.0per 1,000 births · 51 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 3.6per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 31.9 yearssex ratio at birth 105.0
Women in France are projected to live 5.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 51 to 3.0 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #201 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 31.9 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for France
The median age of 42.5 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.64 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 83.7 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 66,746,401 | #23 | Largest first |
| Median age | 42.5 years | #43 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.64 | #143 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.1% | #164 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 83.7 years | #19 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 22.9% | #21 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in France
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50–54 | 4,255,638 | 6.4% | 2.1M / 2.2M |
| 2 | 20–24 | 4,250,763 | 6.4% | 2.2M / 2.1M |
| 3 | 55–59 | 4,235,260 | 6.3% | 2.1M / 2.2M |
| 4 | 60–64 | 4,196,875 | 6.3% | 2M / 2.2M |
| 5 | 15–19 | 4,159,646 | 6.2% | 2.1M / 2M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, France has 32,359,364 males and 34,387,037 females. That is 94.1 males per 100 females, ranking #190 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 48.5% of the population and females for 51.5%. There are 2,027,673 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 77.2 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.0 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How France has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 41,883,119 in 1950 to 66,746,401 in 2026, a change of 59%. Over the same span, median age moved from 33.4 to 42.5 years.
The under-15 share changed from 22.7% to 16.0%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 11.4% to 22.9%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the France population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, France’s population is projected to grow by about 2%, reaching 68,219,675 in 2050. The median age changes from 42.5 to 43.5 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 4.7 percentage points to 27.6%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 15.6%. The France population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 68,529,647 in 2095. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41,883,119 | 33.4 | 2.96 | 66.4 | 866,424 | 533,909 | +130,529 | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 46,428,134 | 31.8 | 2.74 | 70.4 | 831,568 | 523,377 | +143,032 | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 50,813,075 | 31.4 | 2.48 | 72.1 | 848,797 | 542,407 | +182,941 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 53,941,061 | 31.3 | 1.95 | 74.2 | 801,935 | 547,995 | +54,718 | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 56,990,238 | 33.7 | 1.78 | 76.8 | 770,879 | 528,158 | +43,323 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 59,483,717 | 36.7 | 1.88 | 79.0 | 781,114 | 533,655 | +171,637 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 63,417,363 | 39.0 | 2.02 | 81.4 | 804,924 | 546,959 | +52,644 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 65,905,277 | 41.3 | 1.79 | 82.2 | 695,934 | 664,556 | +145,593 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 66,438,822 | 41.8 | 1.64 | 83.3 | 638,891 | 616,095 | +91,862 | +0.2% |
| 2024* | 66,548,530 | 42.1 | 1.64 | 83.5 | 635,995 | 621,767 | +90,527 | +0.2% |
| 2026* | 66,746,401 | 42.5 | 1.64 | 83.7 | 633,972 | 631,107 | +88,533 | +0.1% |
| 2030* | 67,107,691 | 43.0 | 1.64 | 84.2 | 643,419 | 651,233 | +95,565 | +0.1% |
| 2040* | 67,938,904 | 43.3 | 1.64 | 85.4 | 705,458 | 742,963 | +101,394 | +0.1% |
| 2050* | 68,219,675 | 43.5 | 1.65 | 86.6 | 669,054 | 791,287 | +107,825 | -0.0% |
| 2060* | 67,850,295 | 44.8 | 1.65 | 87.7 | 633,393 | 783,676 | +109,227 | -0.1% |
| 2070* | 67,678,905 | 45.3 | 1.65 | 88.9 | 659,426 | 750,860 | +103,395 | +0.0% |
| 2080* | 68,024,937 | 45.2 | 1.65 | 90.0 | 652,330 | 713,858 | +101,625 | +0.1% |
| 2090* | 68,421,883 | 46.3 | 1.65 | 91.1 | 624,996 | 695,434 | +102,206 | +0.1% |
| 2100* | 68,484,558 | 47.1 | 1.65 | 92.1 | 628,294 | 743,894 | +93,308 | -0.0% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1,676,448 | 1,603,474 | 3,279,922 | 4.9% |
| 5–9 | 1,784,790 | 1,707,126 | 3,491,916 | 5.2% |
| 10–14 | 1,983,922 | 1,894,571 | 3,878,493 | 5.8% |
| 15–19 | 2,128,497 | 2,031,149 | 4,159,646 | 6.2% |
| 20–24 | 2,175,338 | 2,075,425 | 4,250,763 | 6.4% |
| 25–29 | 2,030,111 | 1,958,228 | 3,988,339 | 6.0% |
| 30–34 | 1,834,426 | 1,838,767 | 3,673,193 | 5.5% |
| 35–39 | 1,930,701 | 1,995,883 | 3,926,584 | 5.9% |
| 40–44 | 1,944,010 | 2,044,729 | 3,988,739 | 6.0% |
| 45–49 | 2,034,562 | 2,082,601 | 4,117,163 | 6.2% |
| 50–54 | 2,103,318 | 2,152,320 | 4,255,638 | 6.4% |
| 55–59 | 2,055,273 | 2,179,987 | 4,235,260 | 6.3% |
| 60–64 | 2,012,323 | 2,184,552 | 4,196,875 | 6.3% |
| 65–69 | 1,858,793 | 2,093,058 | 3,951,851 | 5.9% |
| 70–74 | 1,662,845 | 1,973,315 | 3,636,160 | 5.4% |
| 75–79 | 1,490,075 | 1,854,022 | 3,344,097 | 5.0% |
| 80–84 | 854,491 | 1,165,704 | 2,020,195 | 3.0% |
| 85–89 | 507,163 | 823,182 | 1,330,345 | 2.0% |
| 90–94 | 232,560 | 515,977 | 748,537 | 1.1% |
| 95–99 | 54,374 | 183,244 | 237,618 | 0.4% |
| 100+ | 5,342 | 29,724 | 35,066 | 0.1% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to France’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Belgium97% overlap · median age 42.1
- United Kingdom96% overlap · median age 40.2
- Denmark96% overlap · median age 41.3
- Sweden96% overlap · median age 40.4
- Norway96% overlap · median age 40.1
- Netherlands96% overlap · median age 41.5
Compare France with other countries
Side-by-side pages put two pyramids on the same percentage scale, with a full indicator table and the projected change to 2050.
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for France.
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Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). France Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/france/
MLA
“France Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/france/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “France Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/france/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of France in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, France's population in 2026 is projected at 66,746,401.
What is the median age in France?
The projected median age in France in 2026 is 42.5 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in France?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.64 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is France's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 2%, from 66.7M to 68.2M.
What share of France is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 22.9% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 27.6%.
How many babies are born in France each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 633,972 births and 631,107 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 50 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 2,865.
What is life expectancy in France for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 86.4 years for women and 80.9 years for men, a gap of 5.5 years in favour of women.
Does France have more immigrants or emigrants?
France is projected to gain about 88,533 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +2,758,322.
What is the sex ratio in France?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 94.1 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.