Current Demographics

Statistics
Population: 1990 = 56,615,155
Midyear Population (Thousands): 1995 = 59,712
Births (Thousands): 1995 = 763
Death (Thousands): 1995 = 540
Life Expectancy: 1995 = 78
Growth Rate (Percent): 1995 = 0.4
Elderly Support Ratio:
Rate of Natural Increase: Percent = 0.4
2010 = 62,793,432
2010 = 64,768
2010 = 805
2010 = 560
2010 = 81
2010 = 0.5
2010 = 4:1
Number of People = 300,000  (Similar to Growth Rate except excluding immigrants)
(U.S. Census Bureau), (PRB, 2008)
Analysis
     France is now the most fertile country in Europe. It has a large workforce and a larger amount of children than elders, thanks to the baby boom. Its population is still increasing, but it is slowing down. Its fertility rate is now under the replacement level. The replacement level is the amount of people needed to be born to keep the population stable. In the world the fertility rate needs to be 2.33 to be just above the replacement level, one child for each parent and a third to make up for the different sex ratio and infant mortality. In France the fertility rate is 2. As said before, its population is still increasing, but soon it will be similar to Japan, where the population is decreasing.
     Currently, France is in Stage Four of the Demographic Transition Model. You can clearly trace France's population through the stages, ignoring, of course, the baby boom (see below).
Picture