France's deaths surpass births for first time since World War II

In a historic and worrying shift, France registered more deaths than births for the first time since World War II, with 651,000 deaths exceeding 645,000 births in 2025, based on official INSEE figures.

This development reflects an intensifying demographic crisis as France's policies in recent years have devalued preborn human beings through the promotion of abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• For the first time since World War II, the number of deaths in France have surpassed the number of births, according to a report on 2025 statistics.

• The country's fertility rate dropped from 1.61 in 2024 to 1.56 in 2025.

• France has relentlessly promoted abortion in recent years, and President Macron's administration is also now promoting euthanasia.

The Details:

The INSEE report states:

“In 2025, 645,000 babies were born in France. This was 2.15 fewer than in 2024 and 24% fewer than in 2010, the year of the last peak in births. The total fertility rates continued to decline: after 1.61 in 2024, it stood at 1.56 children per woman in 2025; the lowest level since the end of the First World War.

In 2025, 651,000 people died in France, 1.5% more than in 2024. This increase resulted in particular from the winter flu epidemic, which was particularly deadly at the beginning of the year. However, life expectancy at birth increased: it stood at 85.9 years for women and 80.3 years for men. Thus, for the first time since the end of the Second World War, the natural balance in France was negative in 2025: it stood at -6000.” 

Sylvie Le Minez, head of demographic and social studies at Insee, remarked at a press conference, “What is striking is how, in just a few years, the natural balance has fallen due to the rapid decline in births.”

France’s current demographic deficit can be linked to the country’s relentless promotion of abortion, enshrined in the constitution in March 2024 amid commemorations of the 1975 pro-abortion Veil Law that decriminalized abortion in many cases.

With more than 200,000 abortions performed in France in recent years, France’s overall “pro-abortion” atmosphere has created a “culture of death” that discourages family formation and expansion, as subsidies like family allowances did not reverse the country's trend of declining births.

Moreover, the anti-life administration of French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing for euthanasia or “medically assisted deaths” despite resistance from religious leaders and some lawmakers.

This pro-euthanasia mindset adopted by sizable portions of the French government has augmented France’s demographic problem by trying to trivialize and normalize death as a the solution for human illnesses or frailties. In addition, Macron's birth-boosting policies, such as proposing more parental leave, fall short without effective limits on abortion. 

The Big Picture:

The decrease in the number of births in France is not a recent trend: the fertility rate in mainland France has been dropping steadily since 2010, when it averaged 2.02 children per woman.

Specialists in demography have alluded to various contributing factors — from changing personal priorities and uncertain job or housing prospects to difficulties  in reconciling professional and family life, as well as increasing ideological concerns regarding the climate and future living conditions, media outlet RFI reported. 

"People now prefer smaller families, and fertility will probably continue to fall," Milan Bouchet-Valat, a sociologist and co-author of 2025 research released by the French Institute for Demographic Studies, stated. 

From a pro-life viewpoint, France's overall anti-life stance ignores tangible proof that protecting preborn children from abortion may encourage births, as was the case in certain U.S. states after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Other policies may boost birth rates — such as policies supporting marriage, tax credits for larger families, and maternal support — but these results among various countries are mixed. In the case of Hungary, pro-natal policies lifted birth rates to around 1.6 from 1.4 per woman. 

The Bottom Line:

Although deaths surpassed births, France’s population experienced a modest increase last year, reaching 69.1 million people, due to immigration, which the national statistics office INSEE estimated at 176,000.

However, depending on foreign migration to sustain population levels is unlikely to repair the country's demographic decline, and comes with its own set of issues.

Instead, the French government must confront the way French society presently views children as burdens rather than blessings. Only then can France truly rejuvenate itself and rebuild a culture that values family formation, parenthood, and life.