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How many babies are born in France?

634 thousand babies born in France in 2026. That is 0.48% of all births worldwide, and the 46th largest of any country. UN projection

2024–2100 uses the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, based on assumptions about fertility, mortality and migration. These are projections, not observed births or guaranteed outcomes. Uncertainty increases further into the future; this site does not display prediction intervals.

Births in France: history and projections

1M 1 CE1000150018002100
Annual births, logarithmic scale. Shading marks modelled years before 1800; the dashed line marks UN projections from 2024.
Every figure refers to the area inside France’s present-day borders. Before 1800 the state did not exist in its current form. See how borders are handled.
Year Estimated births Population Per 1,000 Evidence
1 CE ~200K ~4.9M 41.5 Modelled estimate
1000 ~270K ~6.4M 41.5 Modelled estimate
1500 ~640K ~15M 42.9 Modelled estimate
1800 ~853K ~29M 29.4 Historical reconstruction
1900 ~850K ~40M 21.3 Historical reconstruction
1950 867K 41.9M 20.7 UN estimate
2000 781K 59.5M 13.1 UN estimate
2023 639K 66.4M 9.6 UN estimate
2026 634K 66.7M 9.5 UN projection
2050 669K 68.2M 9.8 UN projection
2075 665K 67.8M 9.8 UN projection
2100 628K 68.5M 9.2 UN projection

What the numbers show

The highest annual births in France among estimates through 2023 were in 1872, at about ~1.02M. That is roughly 5.0 times the estimated ~205K births a year in 1 CE.

At 1.64 children per woman, fertility in France is below the level of about 2.1 that would hold a population steady over the long run without migration.

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How many babies are born in France each year?

An estimated 634 thousand babies are born in France in 2026, according to the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection. That is about 1,740 a day and 0.48% of all births worldwide.

What is the birth rate in France?

France has an estimated 9.5 births per 1,000 people in 2026, and a total fertility rate of 1.64 children per woman.

Where these numbers come from

2026 figures are the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario. UN estimates cover 1950–2023; projections cover 2024–2100. Earlier years come from Gapminder’s reconstructions (1800–1949) and a model applied to HYDE population estimates (before 1800). The full chain is set out in the methodology, and every source is listed on the sources page.