The recent demographic evolution of France

According to the 1999 census, the departments in and close to the Limousin region have the oldest age structure, while those of the Ile-de-France (Paris excluded) and Nord regions have the youngest. as they contain both the largest proportion of young people and the smallest proportion of people aged 60 or more. Since the last census. the departments of western France have experienced slightly faster population ageing than the national average, while in the southern Mediterranean departments it has tended to be slower. Flows of foreign migrants to France have increased since 1996, the increase being mainly to foreigners from non-EU countries. The rise in the total period fertility rate has continued and even accelerated in 2000. It is highest for women over 30, though the fertility of younger women is also thought to have increased. The completed fertility of the generations horn in the 1960s is nonetheless falling, and is expected to settle at just over 2 children per woman, Despite the introduction of the Civil Solidarity Pact giving legal recognition to couples of either sex, 2000 proved particularly favourable to marriage, with over 300 000 celebrated. a figure not reached since 1983. The increase in the average length of life of women has slowed since the 1980s, whereas that of men, after having been held back by AIDS, has resumed at a quickened pace. For men, the greatest improvements are at adult ages, while for women they involve mainly the oldest old.