Aging in France: Major Trends and Government Policies

France, as a developed country, has experienced two simultaneous trends in the last decades, i.e., increasing life expectancy and decreasing fertility rate. This inevitably results in population aging. This thesis has two objectives. The first one is to provide a deeper understanding of where France stands from a demographic point of view while using key demographic indicators. Critical drivers impacting these indicators are identified. The second and main objective is to provide a thorough examination of strategic initiatives undertaken by the French government from 2003 onwards, aimed at addressing the challenges posed by population aging. Although France resembles its European peers in certain aspects, such as in the old-age dependency ratio, it stands out by outperforming in fertility, placing first among EU countries ever since the 1990s. Speaking of the government approach, France is actively engaged in the agenda of population aging, which can be demonstrated by numerous governmental plans carried out ever since 2003. On the other side of the equation, France has considerably higher public social spending than other EU or OECD countries. The level of financial resources dedicated to this area has been increasing ever since the 1990s, which might pose a severe threat to the future development of France.