Number of children under 5 in France
France: Number of children under 5 was 3.40 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.40 million people
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
43rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.25 million people
in 1967
All-time low
3.40 million people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children under 5 in France, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children under 5 in France is 3.40 million people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in France peaked at 4.25 million people in 1967 and was at its lowest, 3.40 million people, in 2023.
That places France 43rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children under 5 in France, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.97 million people | — |
| 1951 | 4.11 million people | +3.5% |
| 1952 | 4.13 million people | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 4.14 million people | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 4.14 million people | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 4.14 million people | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 4.13 million people | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 4.13 million people | -0.0% |
| 1958 | 4.13 million people | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 4.13 million people | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 4.13 million people | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 4.13 million people | -0.0% |
| 1962 | 4.12 million people | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 4.14 million people | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 4.19 million people | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 4.22 million people | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 4.25 million people | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 4.25 million people | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 4.24 million people | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 4.20 million people | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 4.18 million people | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 4.18 million people | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 4.21 million people | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 4.23 million people | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 4.21 million people | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 4.11 million people | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 3.97 million people | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 3.83 million people | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 3.71 million people | -3.3% |
| 1979 | 3.63 million people | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 3.63 million people | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 3.70 million people | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 3.77 million people | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 3.81 million people | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 3.82 million people | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 3.80 million people | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.77 million people | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 3.75 million people | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 3.76 million people | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 3.79 million people | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 3.80 million people | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 3.79 million people | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 3.76 million people | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 3.72 million people | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 3.66 million people | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 3.62 million people | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 3.60 million people | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 3.58 million people | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 3.62 million people | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.69 million people | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 3.74 million people | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 3.79 million people | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.82 million people | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 3.81 million people | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 3.80 million people | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.81 million people | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 3.81 million people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.83 million people | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 3.85 million people | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 3.88 million people | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 3.90 million people | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 3.91 million people | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 3.90 million people | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.88 million people | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.85 million people | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 3.80 million people | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 3.74 million people | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 3.70 million people | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 3.64 million people | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 3.58 million people | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 3.52 million people | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 3.46 million people | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 3.42 million people | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 3.40 million people | -0.6% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 3.40 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 26.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- France's 3.40 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 308,498 people, 11.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.11 million people | 3.97 million people | 4.14 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.19 million people | 4.12 million people | 4.25 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.03 million people | 3.63 million people | 4.23 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.76 million people | 3.63 million people | 3.82 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.69 million people | 3.58 million people | 3.80 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.81 million people | 3.74 million people | 3.88 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.79 million people | 3.58 million people | 3.91 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.45 million people | 3.40 million people | 3.52 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More reference data data for France
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 18.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 11.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 106.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in France?
- Number of children under 5 in France was 3.40 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 4.25 million people in 1967.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.40 million people in 2023.
- How does France rank for number of children under 5?
- France ranks 43rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.