As at 1 January 2008, France and its overseas departments had an estimated 63.8 million inhabitants. This sets the French population at approximately 12.9% of the population of the European Union of 27. In 2008, life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years for men and 84.4 years for women. Since 1990, this figure has increased by over four years for men and three years for women.

Population

Demography(2007)

  Births: 817,000 The total fertility rate is 1.98 children per woman. Birth rate: 12.7%

  Deaths: 527,000 Death rate: 8.4%

  Mariages: 266,500 Since the start of the 1990s, the number of married couples has fallen while the number of unmarried couples has risen from 1.5 million in 1990 to 2.4 million - one couple in six today.

  Divorces: 152,020

Religions

The French Republic is a secular State in which all faiths are represented.

Education

In 2007, the national education budget stood at €77 billion, 28% of the State budget. In 2005, French education spending came to €117.9 billion, representing 6.9% of GDP and the highest average of the OECD countries.

Nursery, primary and secondary school:

  12,342,900 pupils
  884,000 teachers
  67,581 nursery, primary, middle and secondary schools

Pupil-teacher ratio: 13.9 pupils to 1 teacher. Baccalaureat pass rate (2007): 83.3% Higher Education

  2,275,000 students
  89,300 teaching staff
  92 universities
  3,600 higher education establishments.

Student-teacher ratio: 25.4 students to 1 teacher.

www.education.gouv.fr (in French)

Labour force

France has a labour force of some 27.6 million people. Within this category, 25.1 million are employed and 2.5 million, 9.8% of the labour force are jobseekers (January 2004).

The labour force participation rate is:

  74.5% for men
  63.8% for women

Standard of Living

Net average annual earnings: € 21,480 Gross average household savings: 15.3% of disposable income. Minimum Wage

As at 1st July 2007m the gross monthly index-linked guaranteed minimum wage (SMIC) was € 1,1280.07 for a 35 hour working week at an hourly rate of € 8.44.

Holidays

Statutory paid holiday entitlement: five weeks a year. 65% of people take a holiday away from home.

Trade unions

Approximately 1.38 million people in France (5% of the labour force) are union members. This is the lowest rate in the European Union. The main central trade unions are:

  The CGT (Confédération générale du travail)
  The CFDT (Confédération démocratique du travail)
  FO (Force ouvrière)
  The CFTC (Confédération française des travailleurs chrétiens)
  The FSU (Fédération syndicale unitaire)

Social Welfare

The French Social Security system was set up in 1945. It is financed on a pay-as-you-go basis (benefits come from the contributions of those in work).

National healthcare spending accounts for 29.6% of GDP. Some 65.5% of this expenditure is financed by employer and employee contributions and 17.4% by taxes, including earmarked taxes such as the CSG (general social security contribution) and the CRDS (social security debt redemption contribution) also levied on income other than earned income. This is virtually the sole source of funding for the general social security scheme for wage-earners.

Public financing accounts for just 13.5% of total resources. Benefits break down as follows: pensions (44%), healthcare (35.2%), family allowances (9%) and employment assistance in the form of unemployment benefit, vocational training and social integration (7.4%).

However, the growing number of pensioners over the labour force, combined with medical advances and longer life expectancy, has created a deficit in the general social security scheme for wage-earners and, in 2003, the general pension scheme was reformed.

www.travail.gouv.fr (in French)

Health

Health is major concern for the French. In 2005, they spent €190.5 billion on medical services and goods.

A full 77.15% of this was covered by the Social Security system, with an increasing proportion being met by households and insurance firms. A major reform was launched in 2004 to balance the Social Security system's healthcare expenditure accounts. www.sante.gouv.fr(in French)