Private swimming pools are booming in France, with 3.6 million now estimated to be in place nationwide. If you have your own (or are planning one), here are some facts of which to be aware.
1. There is one pool for every 20 people
The number of private pools equates to one for every 20 inhabitants in the country, estimates professional group la Fédération des professionnels de la piscine et du spa (FPP).
This is a sharp rise from the number seen 25 years ago, when the 685,000 pools equated to one in 80 inhabitants.
Even further back - 60 years ago - private pools were rare in France, with just an estimated 1,500 in existence.
2. France has the most in-ground pools
France has the highest number of in-ground pools (those built into the ground, rather than above-ground) in Europe, with 1.73 million. This is more than Spain (1.3 million), Germany (770,000), and Italy (700,000).
However, worldwide, France is far behind the leader, the United States (8.5 million), and Brazil (3.4 million).
In-ground pools are becoming less common in France, however. In the 1990s, figures suggested that 90% of pools were in-ground; whereas today, just 48% are estimated to be in-ground, and 52% above-ground.
3. Pools are (unsurprisingly) more common in the south
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As might be expected, private swimming pools are much more common in France’s southern regions.
The percentage of private homes that have a back garden pool correlates almost exactly with how far south each region is located (e.g. Occitanie and PACA have the most; Brittany and Hauts-de-France have the least). The exception is Grand Est (northeast), where 17.1% of homes have a pool.
Provence-Alpes-Cote-d’Azur and Corsica: 37.2% of private homes have a garden pool
Occitanie: 31.5%
Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 23.8%
Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes: 25%
Grand Est: 17.1%
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: 16.8%
Centre-Val de Loire: 14.4%
Pays de la Loire: 13.2%
Ile-de-France: 12.6%
Hauts-de-France: 7.3%
Normandy: 7.3%
Brittany: 7.1%
4. Pools are becoming more democratised
Swimming pools are no longer the preserve of the very rich in France. In fact, 44% of pools are now owned by working employees, manual workers, and farmers.
Almost a third (28%) of pools are owned by retired people and executives.
However, more expensive in-ground pools are still more likely to be owned by executives (47%) compared to retirees (30%), and workers and farmers (23%).
5. Pools are getting smaller
The average pool square metre size is getting smaller - perhaps because more people on lower incomes are choosing to build private pools.
Before 1991, the average size was 42 m², whereas this figure has now fallen to 29 m². Similarly, around 60% of outdoor pools (in-ground or semi-inground) are built on plots of less than 1,200 m².
These smaller pools are also helped by the fact that they do not require a building permit (un permis de construire) or a declaration of works (une déclaration de travaux), and are not subject to development tax (la taxe d’aménagement, a one-off tax required for pools over 10m²).
“Sales of swimming pools under 10 m² have been steadily increasing since Covid,” said Stéphane Figueroa, president of the FPP.
“Plots of land are getting smaller, and people in France appreciate ‘city’ swimming pools for cooling off or doing aquagym [rather than swimming lengths].”
The smaller size and tax breaks for these has become even more important in recent years, as tax authorities have been using AI-assisted technology to detect and penalise those with undeclared pools.
Despite the extra costs involved, people in France are still opting for extra tools to help them keep their pools clean; in fact, these are becoming more popular.
Robots: As of 2022, 81% of pool owners had a cleaning ‘robot’, compared to 54% in 2006.
Heating or heat pumps: These are increasingly being installed to extend the swimming season beyond the hottest months, seeing an increase of some 25% over the past 16 years.
Pool houses: Pool houses, which include storage for maintenance items such as brushes and chlorine, are also becoming increasingly common, up 24% over the past 16 years).
