Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in France
France: Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) was 14,881 thousands in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
14,881 thousands
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
9th
of 233 countries
All-time high
14,881 thousands
in 2025
All-time low
6,471 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 65 years or older in France, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
France recorded 14,881 thousands for population aged 65 years or older in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in France peaked at 14,881 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6,471 thousands, in 1970.
France ranks 9th of 233 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in France, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6,471 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 6,596 thousands | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 6,711 thousands | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 6,823 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 6,937 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 7,048 thousands | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 7,155 thousands | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 7,233 thousands | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 7,352 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 7,453 thousands | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 7,549 thousands | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 7,475 thousands | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 7,326 thousands | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 7,205 thousands | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 7,105 thousands | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 7,063 thousands | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 7,241 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 7,409 thousands | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 7,572 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 7,733 thousands | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 7,885 thousands | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 8,053 thousands | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 8,220 thousands | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 8,381 thousands | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 8,538 thousands | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 8,701 thousands | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 8,874 thousands | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 9,025 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 9,178 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 9,310 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 9,456 thousands | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 9,589 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 9,724 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 9,841 thousands | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 9,941 thousands | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 10,083 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 10,177 thousands | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 10,228 thousands | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 10,328 thousands | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 10,451 thousands | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 10,577 thousands | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 10,709 thousands | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 11,031 thousands | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 11,368 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 11,721 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 12,070 thousands | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 12,406 thousands | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 12,698 thousands | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 12,986 thousands | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 13,273 thousands | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 13,558 thousands | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 13,790 thousands | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 14,032 thousands | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 14,304 thousands | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 14,595 thousands | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 14,881 thousands | +2.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 14,881 thousands is above the median for high income countries, which is 291.46 thousands, 51.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- France's 14,881 thousands is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 974.42 thousands, 15.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6,978 thousands | 6,471 thousands | 7,453 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,368 thousands | 7,063 thousands | 7,733 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 8,616 thousands | 7,885 thousands | 9,310 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,982 thousands | 9,456 thousands | 10,451 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 11,884 thousands | 10,577 thousands | 13,273 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,193 thousands | 13,558 thousands | 14,881 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More population data for France
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.58 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1885 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 65,827 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1504 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1075 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Population density 125.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.16 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in France?
- Population aged 65 years or older in France was 14,881 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 14,881 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,471 thousands in 1970.
- How does France rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- France ranks 9th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release