Demographics of France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade, migrations, and invasions. The historical "Gallic" population descents from Roman Gaul and the invasion of the Franks. As of 2005, France has a population of 60.5 million.
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Historical population of metropolitan France
Please note:
- figures are for metropolitan (i.e. European) France only, excluding overseas départments and territories, as well as former French colonies and protectorates. Algeria and its départements, although they were an integral part of metropolitan France until 1962, are not included in the figures.
- to make comparisons easier, figures provided below are for the territory of metropolitan France within the borders of 2004. This was the real territory of France from 1861 to 1871, and again since 1919. Figures before 1861 have been adjusted to include Savoie and Nice, which only became part of France in 1861. Figures between 1795 and 1815 do not include the French départements in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, although they were an integral part of France during that period. Figures between 1871 and 1919 have been adjusted to include Alsace and part of Lorraine, which both were at the time part of the German Empire.
- figures before 1801 are modern estimates; figures from 1801 (included) onwards are based on the official French censuses.
Year Population Year Population Year Population
50 BC 6,700,000 1811 30,271,000 1896 40,158,000
0 8,000,000 1816 30,573,000 1901 40,681,000
400 12,200,000 1821 31,578,000 1906 41,067,000
850 7,000,000 1826 32,665,000 1911 41,415,000
1226 16,000,000 1831 33,595,000 1921 39,108,000
1345 20,200,000 1836 34,293,000 1926 40,581,000
1400 16,600,000 1841 34,911,000 1931 41,524,000
1457 19,700,000 1846 36,097,000 1936 41,502,000
1580 20,000,000 1851 36,472,000 1946 40,503,000
1594 18,500,000 1856 36,714,000 1954 42,777,000
1600 20,000,000 1861 37,386,000 1962 46,243,000
1670 18,000,000 1866 38,067,000 1968 49,778,000
1700 21,000,000 1872 37,653,000 1975 52,656,000
1715 19,200,000 1876 38,438,000 1982 54,335,000
1740 24,600,000 1881 39,239,000 1990 56,615,000
1801 29,361,000 1886 39,783,000 1999 58,519,000
1806 29,648,000 1891 39,947,000 2005 60,560,000
Historical overview
Starting around 1800, the historical evolution of the population in France has been extremely atypical in the Western World. Unlike the rest of Europe, France did not experience a strong population growth in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. The birth rate in France diminished much earlier than in the rest of Europe. Consequently, population growth was quite slow in the 19th century, and the nadir was reached in the first half of the 20th century when France, surrounded by the rapidly growing populations of Germany and the United Kingdom, experienced virtually zero growth. This, and the bloody losses in France's population due to the First World War, may explain the sudden collapse of France in 1940 during the Second World War. France was often perceived as a country irremediably on the decline. At the time, theories based on races were quite popular, and the dramatic demographic decline of France was often attributed (particularly in Nazi Germany, and also in some conservative circles in England and elsewhere) to the genetic characteristics of the French "race", a race destined to fail in the face of the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon races. These racial theories were proven wrong, as the population of French descent living in French Canada was in those days experiencing the fastest population growth that was ever achieved by any white people around the world (not even Russia in its wildest population growth of the 19th century). In addition, the slow growth of France's population in the 19th century was reflected in the country's very low emigration rate. While millions of people from all other parts of Europe moved to the Americas, few French did so. Most people in the United States of French extraction are descended from immigrants from rapidly-growing French Canada.
To better understand the demographic decline of France, it should be noted that France was historically the largest nation of Europe. During the 17th century one fifth of Europe’s population was French. Between 1815 and 2000, if the population of France had grown at the same rate as the population of Germany during the same time period, France's population would be 110 million today -- and this doesn't take into account the fact that a large chunk of Germany's population growth was siphoned off by emigration to the United States. If it had grown at the same rate as England and Wales, France's population would be 150 million today. And if we start the comparison at the time of King Louis XIV (the Sun King), then France would have the same population as the United States! This helps understand why France was so powerful in Europe at the time of Louis XIV or Napoleon, and it shows how much of a demographic decline the country experienced after 1800.
After 1945 however, France suddenly underwent a demographic recovery that no one could have foreseen. It is a fact that in the 1930s the French government, alarmed by the decline of France's population, had passed laws to boost the birth rate, giving state benefits to families with children. Nonetheless, no one can quite satisfactorily explain this sudden and unexpected recovery in the demography of France, which was often portrayed as a "miracle" inside France. This demographic recovery was again atypical in the Western World, in the sense that although the rest of the Western World experienced a baby-boom immediately after the war, the baby boom in France was much stronger, and above all it lasted longer than in the other countries of the Western World. In the 1950s and 1960s France enjoyed a population growth of 1% a year, which is the highest growth in the history of France, not even matched in the best periods of the 18th or 19th centuries!
After 1975, France's population growth has significantly diminished, being more in tune with the rest of Europe, but it still remains slightly faster than in the rest of Europe, and much faster than in the end of the 19th century or the first half of the 20th century. At the turn of the millennium, population growth in France is the fastest of Europe, matched only by Ireland and the Netherlands. However, it is significantly slower than in North America, where population trends have diverged from Europe after the 1970s.
The ranking below will help understand the past, present, and future weight of France's population in Europe and in the world:
(historical populations are counted in the 2004 borders)
- until 1795 metropolitan France was the most populous country of Europe, above even Russia, and the third most populous country in the world, behind only China and India
- between 1795 and 1866, metropolitan France was the second most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, and the fourth most populous country in the world, behind China, India, and Russia
- between 1866 and 1911, metropolitan France was the third most populous country of Europe, behind Russia and Germany
- between 1911 and 1931, metropolitan France was the fourth most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom
- between 1931 and 1991, metropolitan France was the fifth most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy
- between 1991 and 1997, metropolitan France recovered its rank as the fourth most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom
- since 1997, metropolitan France has recovered its rank as the third most populous country of Europe, behind Russia and Germany. Worldwide, France's ranking has fallen to twentieth most populous country.
- if current demographic trends continue (i.e. stable population growth rate in Germany, and slightly rising population-mostly due to heavy African immigration in France), around 2050 metropolitan France could become very close to being the second most populous country of Europe behind Russia
Ethnic groups and Immigration
The "indigenous" Celtic (Gallic and Breton) and Aquitanian (Basque related) stock blended with Roman elements into Roman Gaul, and further with Germanic stock (Franks, Visigoths, Burgundians, Normans) during the Migration Period.
Besides these "historic" populations, new populations have migrated to France since the 19th century: Belgians, Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Poles, Armenians, Jews from Eastern Europe and the Maghreb, Arabs and Berbers from the Maghreb, Black Africans, and Chinese, to list only the most prominent. It is currently estimated that 40% of the French population descends from these different waves of migrations, making France the most ethnically diverse country of Europe, and quite comparable to the United States or Canada, despite the still popular stereotypes of France as an essentially Gallic country. Nevertheless, the immigrants from other European countries have an easier time blending in, while the 'non-European' groups tend to assimilate at a slower pace, because of racism and cultural differences.
In the late twentieth century, France exhibited a high rate of immigration. More than 1 million Muslims immigrated in the 1960s and early 1970s from North Africa, especially Algeria (following the end of French rule there). At the end of 1994, there were about 5 million persons of Muslim descent living in France (see also Islam in France).
The Net migration rate in 2000 was estimated to 0.66 migrants per 1,000 population and year.
Religion
French law prohibits the collection of religious demographic statistics in a census. A study conducted by the CSA institute in 2003/4, on a base of 18,000 questioned, found that 27% declared themselves atheists, while 64.3% were Roman Catholic (compared to 69% in 2001), with 8.7% (ca. 5 million) adherents of religions other than Roman Catholicism (rough estimates amount to Islam 3 million, Protestantism 1 million, Buddhism 0.60 million, Judaism 0.53 million, Orthodox Christianity 0.15 million in the early 2000s). A study of IFOP conducted in 2004 found that 44% declare that they do not believe in God, compared to 20% in 1947.
Languages
Main articles: French language, Languages of France
Education
Main article: Education in France
Education is free, beginning at age 2, and mandatory between ages 6 and 16. The public education system is highly centralized. Private primary and secondary education is primarily Roman Catholic. Higher education in France began with the founding of the University of Paris in 1150. It now consists of 69 universities and special schools, such as the Grandes Écoles, technical colleges, and vocational training institutions.
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1980 est.)
See also
External links
- population of French communes (with more than 2000 inhabitants)
