French Population Now Reaches 63.8 Mln

Jan 16, 11:25 AM

French population now reaches 63.8 mln

PARIS, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The population of France was estimated at 63.8 million at the beginning of January 2008, or an increase of 361,000 people compared to the year 2007, according tofigure published Tuesday by the French national institute for statistics and economic studies (INSEE).

France ranks the second most populated country within the European Union (EU) after Germany, which has a population of 82.3 million people. The French today represents approximately 13 percent of the EU population.

The French population is aging, with the number of those aged over 60 years increasing rapidly during the last two years, as post- war baby boom generation reaches this age. They currently represent 21.8 percent of the population.

The number of those aged between 60 and 64 years increased by 9percent in 2007. For the first time, the numbers of those aged less than 20 years was below 25 percent of the population, according to the INSEE.

Life expectancy in France increased by three months in 2007, tostand at 77.5 years for men and 84.4 years for women. For the lastten years, increase in life expectancy was three years for men andtwo years for women.