France has, for the first time since the end of World War II, recorded more deaths than births in 2025. The national statistics institute Insee reported 651,000 deaths and 645,000 births this year. This marks a historic shift, as France had long enjoyed higher birthrates compared to other European countries. In 2023, France's fertility rate was the second-highest in the EU at 1.65 children per woman, behind Bulgaria's 1.81. However, Insee said the fertility rate sank to 1.56 in 2025, the lowest since the end of World War I. This rate is a 24% drop from 2.01 recorded 15 years ago. Sylvie Le Minez, a specialist at Insee, said, "Since 2010, births have been declining year after year in France." A public survey last year found 28% of respondents said the financial cost of raising children was the main barrier, 18% worried about society's future, and 15% found it hard to balance family and work life. The aging population is also a concern. Life expectancy is high, with women living to 85.9 years and men to 80.3 years. People aged 65 or older now make up 22% of the population, roughly equal to those under 20. Le Minez pointed out, "This is not a first for European countries." In fact, 20 of the EU’s 27 countries had more deaths than births in 2024. Even so, France’s population grew slightly to 69.1 million, helped by net migration estimated at 176,000. Yet, as anti-immigration sentiment rises, especially from France’s National Rally, experts warn this could speed up population decline. Eurostat projects that without immigration, France’s population could shrink to 59 million by 2100.