France’s centenarian boom: why more people are reaching 100 and beyond
France could have some 76,000 centenarians by 2040 and around 210,000 by 2070
More than 31,000 people in France are now aged 100 or over
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France is seeing a sharp increase in the number of people reaching 100 and beyond, with the country now counting more than 31,000 centenarians.
This represents a number around 30 times higher than in the 1970s, according to the French national statistics institute INSEE and the National Institute for Demographic Studies (Ined).
For comparison, among those born in France in 1850, only 0.02% became centenarians, rising to around 2% for those born in 1920.
Most centenarians are women. In 2023, women represented around 86% of people aged 100 or over in France.
At the very highest ages, a new group is also becoming more visible: supercentenarians, those aged 110 or older. While reaching this age remains extremely rare, their numbers are increasing. In 2022, 39 people in France died at age 110 or above, 38 of them being women.
Additionally, healthy life expectancy in France is considerably higher than that in the UK and the US and even outperforms most EU countries.
Why are there more centenarians?
Improvements in living conditions, healthcare and medical treatments have reduced mortality over the past century. Better prevention and treatment of diseases have helped more older people survive.
Other factors also influence the chances of reaching 100. INSEE research shows that people with higher levels of education are more likely to become centenarians, which may be linked to differences in income, access to healthcare, working conditions and health behaviours.
If current trends continue, INSEE estimates that France could have around 76,000 centenarians by 2040 and around 210,000 by 2070.
