A few elements drawn from the demographic assessment of the Insee, which you can find in its entirety here
In the course of this year, 834, 000 children are born and 543 500 people died. The natural increase is thus of 290 to 500 people. The migration balance is estimated at 76 000 people. At January 1, 2009, 64,30 million people resident in France : 62,45 million in metropolitan France and 1.85 million in the overseas departments. Within the european Union, France is the second largest by population, behind Germany (82.1 million inhabitants). 13 % of the inhabitants of the european Union resident in France.
The proportion of persons under twenty years of decreases in the population, while that of 65 years or more is progressing. In ten years, the number of people aged 75 or more has increased by a third, almost five times faster than the total population (+ 7 %).
France remains the leading european countries for fertility. In 2008, 801, 000 children are born in metropolitan France and 33,000 in the overseas departments. It is necessary to go back almost thirty years ago, in 1981, to regain as high a level in metropolis. France is, with Ireland, the countries of the european Union where the fertility rate is the highest.
It is especially at ages were relatively high, between 30 and 40 years, that the fruitfulness is progressing. Children born in 2008 are up to 21.5 % have a mother aged 35 years or more, they were 20.0 % three years earlier, and 16.5%, ten years ago. The mean age at childbearing continued to rise in 2008 : it reached almost 30 years, which is almost two years more than twenty years ago.
The increase in the number of births outside marriage continues in 2008. Become the majority in 2006, births outside marriage represent in 2008 over 52% of births, or 10 % more than ten years ago.
Pursuing a long-term trend, the average age at first marriage rose again in 2007 for the two spouses : the groom is now an average of 31.5 years in a first marriage, and the bride 29.5 years. In five years, the average age at first marriage has increased by one year.
In 2008, 140 000 have been concluded. Almost 94 % of the pacs entered into in 2008 have been by partners of the opposite sex.
In the conditions of mortality at each age observed currently, a boy born in 2008 is expected to live 77.5 years and a girl 84,3 years. The life expectancy of men in France is comparable to that of the average of the european Union. In contrast, women living in France is one of the most high. The gains in life expectancy at birth is almost nil in 2008.