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Essential facts.
France is a modern European state and a republic, and is one of the world's top five economies.
The French head of state is the President, elected by universal suffrage ( 2012 elections) : the
president governs through a Council of Ministers and a parliament made up of two chambers, the
National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house).
Metropolitan France (France in Europe) has a population of slightly over 62 million, a little more than
that of the United Kingdom. For more key data see facts and figures
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Considerable growth
The figures reported in 2011 confirmed that France as a whole was growing at a
faster rate than most other countries across the globe. In fact, its natural growth,
which excludes any immigration figures, accounted for nearly the whole of the natural
growth recorded in the European Union in 2003.
The birth rate exceeded the death rate by a considerable amount -- 302,432 in 2006
which was the highest recorded figure since 1973. Further contrasts in the rates led
to the final figures declared in the 2011 census. The country also has the second
highest number of children per family in Europe; 2.01 when the last figures were
announced.
Immigration
Like many of its neighbours, France represents a huge attraction for immigration and
when statistics were released in 2008, it was reported that 11.8 million foreign born
immigrants and their immediate descendants were residents in the country; a figure
which accounted for around 19% of the total population of the time.
Exact figures in relation to this are slightly hampered by the fact that it is illegal for the
French state as an entity to compile statistics when it comes to race and ethnicity.
Data in relation to this is therefore supplied by independent agencies such as INED
and INSEE.
What is clear however is that Frances population is growing quite significantly.
Already twentieth in the global list, that large discrepancy in the birth and death rate
shows no signs of narrowing and as such, it will be fascinating to see the results from
the next national census.
France Demographics
A law from 1872 prohibits the French Republic from conducting census by making
any distinction between its citizens in terms of race or religious beliefs, so French
demographics can be a bit hard to determine. In 2004, it was estimated that 85% of
the population of Metropolitan France was white or of European origin, with 10% from
North Africa, 3.5% Black and 1.5% Asian.
This law does not apply to surveys or polls, and a marketing company called Solis
estimated numbers of ethnic minorities in 2009 as 5.23% Maghrebis, 2.94% black (a
majority from Sub-Saharan Africa) and 0.71% Turkish.
Paris (2.2 million) The wider Paris urban area had a population of over 12.1
million in 2013.
Marseille (853,000) While it's the second largest city in France, it has the third
largest urban and metropolitan area with a population of 1.6 million.
Lyon (484,000) Including suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon is the most
populous area of France with a population of 1.7 million.
Toulouse (449,000) This is the fourth largest metropolitan area of France with
a population of 1.2 million.
the city is often just as bustling as well, probably because the total population of Paris
is 2.34 million people.
Parisian People
The people who live in and around Paris are very different from those who live in
other parts of France. Not only is the median age younger, and their income higher,
but they also live very active lives and are fairly relaxed. One of the reasons that
many people live in and around Paris is due to the high wages in the city. In the
Parisian region, higher wages are normal, and people can make more money in the
city doing a job, than they can in the countryside doing the exact same job. The
median income in Paris is approximately 25,000 Euros, however it fluctuates
depending on the arrondissement around Paris. For example, in median income in
the 7th arrondissement is over 41,000 Euros. In general, people who live in the
Western parts of the city make more money than those who live elsewhere in the city.
The people of Paris are also quiet diverse. Paris is considered the most diverse city
in Europe, and it is estimated that around 23% of the population migrated to Paris
sometime after they were born. Many of these people also immigrated to France.
20% of the Parisian population is known as first generation immigrants, and at least
40% of children who live in Paris have one parent who was a first generation
immigrant. Immigration levels are very high in Paris, and emigration levels are almost
just as high. People tend to immigrate to the city when they are young, yet once they
reach retirement age, they migrate to the countryside in order to live a more peaceful
and less expensive life.
Marseille Demographics
Marseille has always been an important gateway into France as a port city. Over
hundreds of years, this has transformed Marseille into a cosmopolitan melting pot
with many immigrants. The 20th century in particular saw many large waves of
immigration due to political unrest and poor economic conditions in Europe and
globally. At the end of the 19th century, Italians and Greeks began immigrating to
Marseille, with about 40% of the city's population being Italian by the 1950s.
Other major waves of immigrants have included Russians (1917), Armenians (1915
and 1920s), Vietnamese (1920s, 50s and post-1975), Corsicans (1920s and 30s),
Spanish (post-1935), North Africans (between WWI and WWII), and Sub-Saharan
Africans (post-1945).
In 2006, the single largest nationality was residents of Maghrebian origin
from Algeria (70,000), followed by Comoros (45,000). About 30% of the population
today has Italian ancestry. Marseille is now home to the second-largest Armenian and
Corsican population sin the country, with large populations of Chinese, Comorians,
Turks, Maghrebis, and Vietnamese.
Just a decade ago, the majority of the population were Roman Catholic (405,000),
followed by Muslim (150,000), Armenian Apostolic (80,000), Jewish (80,000),
Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Buddhist. In 2014, an estimated 40% of Marseille
is now Muslim, and it is predicted that Marseille will become the first Muslim-majority
city in France. Marseille also has the 3rd largest urban population of Jewish people in
all of Europe.
01. The world's oldest person on verified record was French. Jeanne Calment died at the
age of 122 in 1997. There are currently 20,452 centenarians living in France. By 2060 it
is estimated there could be nearly 200,000.
02. Nearly 18% of Frances population is 65 or older. It is estimated that by 2060 over 32
million of Frances 73.6 million inhabitants will be over 60.
03. France has the highest birth rate in continental Europe with an estimated average of
2.08 children per woman in 2014.
04. Over half of all children in France are born to parents who are not married.
05. By 2020, every fourth person living in France will be older than 60.
06. The French population is expected to grow by 9 million people to 72.3 million by
2050. If Germanys population continues to decline, France could then be the most
populous country in western Europe.
07. In 2012, only 40% of French people over 55 were employed but this was a rise of 10
percentage points from 2002.
08. People in France work 1479 hours a year, 286 hours less than the OECD average of
1765 hours.
09. In the 1960s, a quarter of French people met their first life partner at local dances.
Now the most common meeting places are parties with friends (18%), a place of study
(15%), public places (15%) and nightclubs (11%). The Internet does not yet appear to
play a major role.
10. French people are more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average, with 79%
of French people saying they have more positive than negative experiences in their day
compared with an OECD an average of 76%.