France

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of France}}

[[File:Population density in France.png|upright=1.2|thumb|Population density in France by [[Arrondissements of France|arrondissement]]]]

With an estimated January 2024 population of 68,373,433 people,<ref name=pop_est/> France is the [[List of countries by population#Sovereign states and dependencies by population|20th most populous country in the world]], the third-most populous in Europe (after [[Russia]] and [[Germany]]), and the second most populous in the [[European Union]] (after Germany).

France is an outlier among developed countries, particularly in Europe, for its relatively high rate of [[natural population growth]]: By birth rates alone, it was responsible for almost all natural population growth in the European Union in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bilan démographique 2006: un excédent naturel record |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1280882#titre-bloc-4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708232900/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1280882#titre-bloc-4 |archive-date=8 July 2017 |access-date=22 January 2017 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> Between 2006 and 2016, France saw the second-highest overall increase in population in the EU and was one of only four EU countries where natural births accounted for the most population growth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=People in the EU – statistics on demographic changes – Statistics Explained |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/People_in_the_EU_-_statistics_on_demographic_changes |access-date=21 August 2019 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref> This was the highest rate since the end of the [[baby boom]] in 1973 and coincides with the rise of the [[total fertility rate]] from a nadir of 1.7 in 1994 to 2.0 in 2010.

{{As of|January 2021}}, the fertility rate declined slightly to 1.84 children per woman, below the [[replacement rate]] of 2.1, and considerably below the high of 4.41 in 1800.<ref>{{Citation |first=Max |last=Roser |title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FRA |work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]] |year=2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708151649/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FRA |access-date=7 May 2019 |archive-date=8 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bilan démographique 2016 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2554860 |access-date=19 January 2017 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="population">{{Cite web |title=Bilan démographique 2020 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/5012724 |access-date=19 January 2021 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tableau 44&nbsp;– Taux de fécondité générale par âge de la mère |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/sd2008/dd/excel/sd2008_t44_fe.xls |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427013815/http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/sd2008/dd/excel/sd2008_t44_fe.xls |archive-date=27 April 2011 |access-date=20 January 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> France's fertility rate and crude birth rate nonetheless remain among the highest in the EU. However, like many developed nations, the French [[Population ageing|population is aging]]; the average age is 41.7 years, while about a fifth of French people are 65 or over.<ref>{{Citation |title=World Factbook EUROPE : FRANCE |date=4 February 2021 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/france/ |work=[[The World Factbook]]}}</ref> The [[List of countries by life expectancy|life expectancy]] at birth is 82.7 years, the 12th highest in the world.

From 2006 to 2011, population growth averaged 0.6 per cent per year;<ref name="evol">{{Cite web |title=Évolution générale de la situation démographique, France |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=bilan-demo&page=donnees-detaillees/bilan-demo/pop_age3.htm#evol-gen-sit-demo-fe |access-date=20 January 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> since 2011, annual growth has been between 0.4 and 0.5 per cent annually.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WDI – Home |url=http://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/ |access-date=27 August 2019 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> Immigrants are major contributors to this trend; in 2010, 27 per cent of newborns in metropolitan France had at least one [[Immigration to France#Immigration per region|foreign-born]] parent and another 24 per cent had at least one parent born outside Europe (excluding French overseas territories).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naissances selon le pays de naissance des parents 2010 |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=ir-sd20101 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927161644/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=ir-sd20101 |archive-date=27 September 2013 |publisher=Insee}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|French people}}
Historically, [[French people]] were mainly of [[Celtic peoples|Celtic]]-[[Gauls|Gallic]] origin, with a significant admixture of [[Italic peoples|Italic]] ([[Roman Empire|Romans]]) and [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] ([[Franks]]) groups reflecting centuries of respective migration and settlement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jean-Louis Brunaux |title=Nos ancêtres les Gaulois |date=2008 |editor-last=Seuil |page=261 |trans-title=Our ancestors the Gauls}}</ref> Through the course of the [[Middle Ages]], France incorporated various neighbouring ethnic and linguistic groups, as evidenced by [[Bretons|Breton]] elements in the west, [[Aquitani]]an in the southwest, [[Scandinavian people|Scandinavian]] in the northwest, [[Alemanni]]c in the northeast, and [[Ligures|Ligurian]] in the southeast.

Large-scale immigration over the last century and a half have led to a more multicultural society; beginning with the French Revolution, and further codified in the [[French Constitution|French Constitution of 1958]], the government is prohibited from collecting data on ethnicity and ancestry; most demographic information is drawn from private sector organisations or academic institutions. In 2004, the ''Institut Montaign''e estimated that within Metropolitan France, 51&nbsp;million people were White (85% of the population), 6&nbsp;million were Northwest African (10%), 2&nbsp;million were Black (3.3%), and 1&nbsp;million were Asian (1.7%).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Yazid Sabeg |url=http://www.conventioncitoyenne.com/documents/oubliesdelegalite.pdf |title=Les oubliés de l'égalité des chances |last2=Laurence Méhaignerie |date=January 2004 |publisher=[[Institut Montaigne]] |language=fr |trans-title=The forgotten of equal opportunities |author-link=Yazid Sabeg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 March 2009 |title=France's ethnic minorities: To count or not to count |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/node/13377324 |access-date=25 April 2013}}</ref>

A 2008 poll conducted jointly by [[INED|the Institut national d'études démographiques]] and [[INSEE|the French National Institute of Statistics]]<ref>{{Cite web |year=2008 |title='Trajectories and Origins' Survey |url=http://teo_english.site.ined.fr/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202054910/http://teo_english.site.ined.fr/ |archive-date=2 December 2011 |publisher=Ined}}</ref><ref name="Oppenheimer">{{Cite journal |last=Oppenheimer |first=David B. |year=2008 |title=Why France needs to collect data on racial identity...in a French way |journal=Hastings International and Comparative Law Review |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=735–752 |ssrn=1236362}}</ref> estimated that the largest minority ancestry groups were [[Italians in France|Italian]] (5 million), followed by [[Northwest African]] (3–6 million),<ref name="Cohen1995">{{Cite book |first=Robin |last=Cohen |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgesurveyo00robi |title=The Cambridge Survey of World Migration |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-521-44405-7 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 November 2009 |title=France's crisis of national identity |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frances-crisis-of-national-identity-1826942.html}}</ref><ref>"Les personnes d'origine maghrébine y sont également au nombre de 5 à 6 millions; 3,5 millions ont la nationalité française (don't 500 000 harkis)", Évelyne Perrin, ''Identité Nationale, Amer Ministère'', L'Harmattan, 2010, p. 112 {{ISBN|978-2-296-10839-4}}</ref> [[Afro-French|Sub-Saharan African]] (2.5&nbsp;million), Armenian (500,000), and Turkish (200,000).<ref>{{Cite web |first=Falila |last=Gbadamassi |title=Les personnes originaires d'Afrique, des Dom-Tom et de la Turquie sont 5,5 millions dans l'Hexagone |url=http://www.afrik.com/article16248.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002085632/http://www.afrik.com/article16248.html |archive-date=2 October 2013 |publisher=Afrik.com}}</ref> There are also sizeable minorities of other [[European ethnic groups]], namely [[Spaniards|Spanish]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Polish people|Polish]], and [[Greeks|Greek]].<ref name="Cohen1995"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Richburg |first=Keith B. |date=24 April 2005 |title=Europe's Minority Politicians in Short Supply |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12396-2005Apr23.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sachs |first=Susan |date=12 January 2007 |title=In officially colorblind France, blacks have a dream&nbsp;– and now a lobby |work=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Boston |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0112/p01s04-woeu.html}}</ref> France has a significant [[Romani people in France|Gitan (Romani)]] population, numbering between 20,000 and 400,000;<ref>{{Cite web |title=National strategy for Roma integration – European Commission – DG Justiceunknown label |url=http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma-integration/france/national-strategy/national_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306140020/http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma-integration/france/national-strategy/national_en.htm |archive-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> many foreign [[Romani people|Roma]] are [[Deportation of Roma migrants from France|expelled back to Bulgaria and Romania frequently.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Astier |first=Henri |date=13 February 2014 |title=France's unwanted Roma |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25419423 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Immigration ===
{{Main|Immigration to France}}
It is currently estimated that 40% of the French population is descended at least partially from the different waves of immigration since the early 20th century;<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 November 2005 |title=Paris Riots in Perspective |work=ABC News |location=New York |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1280843}}</ref> between 1921 and 1935 alone, about 1.1&nbsp;million net immigrants came to France.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassell |first=James E. |title=Russian Refugees in France and the United States Between the World Wars |date=1991 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |isbn=978-0-87169-817-9 |series=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |volume=81/7 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uUsLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA22 22] |chapter=III. French Government and the Refugees}}</ref> The next largest wave came in the 1960s when around 1.6&nbsp;million ''[[Pied-Noir|pieds noirs]]'' returned to France following the independence of its Northwest African possessions, Algeria and Morocco.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Markham |first=James M. |date=6 April 1988 |title=For Pieds-Noirs, the Anger Endures |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDE1539F935A35757C0A96E948260}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Migration and development co-operation |date=1994 |isbn=978-92-871-2611-5 |editor-first=Raimondo Cagiano |editor-last=De Azevedo |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=N8VHizsqaH0C&pg=PA25 25]}}</ref> They were joined by numerous former colonial subjects from North and West Africa, as well as numerous European immigrants from Spain and Portugal.

[[File:Calais2015a.jpg|thumb|The [[Calais Jungle]] was a [[refugee]] and [[Economic migrant|illegal migrant]] encampment in the vicinity of [[Calais]], France, that existed from January 2015 to October 2016.]]
France remains a major destination for immigrants, accepting about 200,000 legal immigrants annually.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 November 2010 |title=Flux d'immigration par continent d'origine |trans-title=Immigration flow by continent of origin |url=https://www.ined.fr/fr/tout-savoir-population/chiffres/france/flux-immigration/annee-continent/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523053018/http://www.ined.fr/fr/pop_chiffres/france/flux_immigration/depuis_1994/ |archive-date=23 May 2012 |website=Ined |language=fr}}</ref> In 2005, it was Western Europe's leading recipient of [[refugee|asylum]] seekers, with an estimated 50,000 applications (albeit a 15% decrease from 2004).<ref name="UNHCR">{{Cite book |title=UNHCR Global Report 2005 |publisher=[[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]] |chapter=Western Europe |access-date=14 December 2006 |chapter-url=http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4492677f0.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614025835/http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4492677f0.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, France received about 48,100 asylum applications—placing it among the top five asylum recipients in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kalt |first1=Anne |last2=Hossain |first2=Mazeda |last3=Kiss |first3=Ligia |last4=Zimmerman |first4=Cathy |date=March 2013 |title=Asylum Seekers, Violence and Health: A Systematic Review of Research in High-Income Host Countries |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=103 |issue=3 |pages=e30–e42 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2012.301136 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=3673512 |pmid=23327250}}</ref> In subsequent years it saw the number of applications increase, ultimately doubling to 100,412 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2017 |title=aida – Asylum Information Database – Country Report: France |url=https://www.asylumineurope.org/sites/default/files/report-download/aida_fr_2017update.pdf}}</ref> The European Union allows free movement between the member states, although France established controls to curb [[Eastern European]] migration.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} Foreigners' rights are established in the [[Code of Entry and Residence of Foreigners and of the Right to Asylum]]. Immigration remains a contentious political issue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 June 2023 |title=Le regard des Français sur l'immigration |url=https://www.ifop.com/publication/le-regard-des-francais-sur-limmigration-3/|website=IFOP |language=fr}}</ref>

In 2008, the [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]] (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) estimated that the total number of foreign-born immigrants was around 5&nbsp;million (8% of the population), while their French-born descendants numbered 6.5&nbsp;million, or 11% of the population. Thus, nearly a fifth of the country's population were either first or second-generation immigrants, of which more than 5&nbsp;million were of European origin and 4&nbsp;million of [[Maghrebis|Maghrebi]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Catherine Borrel |last2=Bertrand Lhommeau |date=30 March 2010 |title=Être né en France d'un parent immigré |trans-title=To be born in France of an immigrant parent |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203052501/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 |archive-date=3 February 2012 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="Insee_1">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Répartition des immigrés par pays de naissance |trans-title=Distribution of immigrants by country of birth |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026174732/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |archive-date=26 October 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="INSEE1">{{Cite web |first=Catherine |last=Borrel |date=August 2006 |title=Enquêtes annuelles de recensement 2004 et 2005 |trans-title=Annual census surveys 2004 and 2005 |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/ipweb/ip1098/ip1098.html#encadre1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212212050/http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/ipweb/ip1098/ip1098.html |archive-date=12 December 2006 |access-date=14 December 2006 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> In 2008, France granted [[citizenship]] to 137,000 persons, mostly from Morocco, Algeria and Turkey.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swalec |first=Andrea |date=6 July 2010 |title=Turks and Moroccans top list of new EU citizens |work=Reuters |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49921620100706 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112223503/http://in.reuters.com/article/2010/07/06/idINIndia-49921620100706 |archive-date=12 January 2012}}</ref>

In 2014, the INSEE reported a significant increase in the number of immigrants coming from Spain, Portugal and Italy between 2009 and 2012. According to the institute, this increase resulted from the financial crisis that hit several European countries in that period.<ref name="sudouest.fr">{{Cite news |date=2 December 2014 |title=Qui sont les nouveaux immigrés qui vivent en France? |language=fr |trans-title=Who are the new immigrants living in France? |work=SudOuest |url=http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/11/28/qui-sont-les-nouveaux-immigres-qui-vivent-en-france-1751452-705.php}}</ref> Statistics on Spanish immigrants in France show a growth of 107 per cent between 2009 and 2012, with the population growing from 5,300 to 11,000.<ref name="sudouest.fr"/> Of the total of 229,000 foreigners who were in France in 2012, nearly 8% were Portuguese, 5% British, 5% Spanish, 4% Italian, 4% German, 3% Romanian, and 3% Belgian.<ref name="sudouest.fr"/>

===Major cities===
{{See also|Functional area (France)|Urban unit}}
France is a highly urbanised country, with its [[List of cities in France over 20,000 population (1999 census)|largest cities]] (in terms of [[Functional area (France)|metropolitan area]] population in 2019<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population municipale 2019 – France par aire d'attraction des villes – Tableau |url=https://statistiques-locales.insee.fr/#c=indicator&i=pop_legales.popmun&s=2019&t=A01&view=map13 |access-date=2022-08-11 |website=Insee}}</ref>) being Paris (13,114,718 inh.), [[Lyon]] (2,280,845), [[Marseille]] (1,873,270), [[Lille]] (1,510,079), [[Toulouse]] (1,454,158), [[Bordeaux]] (1,363,711), [[Nantes]] (1,011,020), [[Strasbourg]] (853,110), [[Montpellier]] (801,595), and [[Rennes]] (755,668). (Note: since its 2020 revision of metropolitan area borders, [[INSEE]] considers that [[Nice]] is a metropolitan area separate from the [[Cannes]]-[[Antibes]] metropolitan area; these two combined would have a population of 1,008,296, as of the 2019 census). [[Rural flight]] was a perennial political issue throughout most of the 20th century.
{{Largest metropolitan areas of France}}

===Language===
{{Main|French language|Languages of France|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie}}
[[File:Map-Francophone World.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=world map of French speaking countries|Map of the [[List of territorial entities where French is an official language|Francophone]] world:
{{Legend|#0c5eb1|Native language}}
{{Legend|#0080ff|Administrative language}}
{{Legend|#9fceff|Secondary or cultural language}}
]]
The official language of France is French,<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604145028/http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/html/constitution/constitution2.htm La Constitution- La Constitution du 4 Octobre 1958]&nbsp;– Légifrance.</ref> a [[Romance language]] derived from [[Latin]]. Since 1635, the [[Académie française]] has been France's official authority on the French language, although its recommendations carry no legal weight. There are also regional languages spoken in France, such as [[Occitan language|Occitan]], [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[French Flemish|Flemish]] ([[Dutch language|Dutch]] dialect), [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]] (German dialect), [[Basque language|Basque]], and [[Corsican language|Corsican]] (Italian dialect). Italian was the official language of Corsica until 9 May 1859.<ref>Abalain, Hervé, (2007) ''Le français et les langues historiques de la France'', Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot, p. 113.</ref>

The Government of France does not regulate the choice of language in publications by individuals, but the use of French is required by law in commercial and workplace communications. In addition to mandating the use of French in the territory of the Republic, the French government tries to promote French in the European Union and globally through institutions such as the {{Lang|fr|[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]|italic=no}}. The perceived threat from [[anglicisation]] has prompted efforts to safeguard the position of the French language in France. Besides French, there exist 77 vernacular minority languages of France, eight spoken in French metropolitan territory and 69 in the French [[Overseas departments and territories of France|overseas territories]]. It is estimated that between 300&nbsp;million<ref>{{Cite web |title=French: one of the world's main languages |url=http://about-france.com/french/french-language.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160516223437/http://about-france.com/french/french-language.htm |archive-date=16 May 2016 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=About-france.com}}</ref> and 500&nbsp;million<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/francophonie.htm Qu'est-ce que la Francophonie ?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623113030/http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/francophonie.htm|date=23 June 2011}}&nbsp;– [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]</ref> people worldwide can speak French, either as a mother tongue or as a second language.

According to the 2007 Adult Education survey, part of a project by the [[European Union]] and carried out in France by the [[INSEE]] and based on a sample of 15,350 persons, French was the native language of 87.2% of the total population, or roughly 55.81&nbsp;million people, followed by Arabic (3.6%, 2.3&nbsp;million), Portuguese (1.5%, 960,000), Spanish (1.2%, 770,000) and Italian (1.0%, 640,000). Native speakers of other languages made up the remaining 5.2% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences |url=https://www.gesis.org/en/missy/metadata/AES/2007/Cross-sectional/original#2007-Cross-sectional-MOTHTONG1 |access-date=24 April 2018 |website=gesis.org}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in France}}
[[File:Reims Cathédrale Notre-Dame 5002 (fixed angles).jpg|thumb|left|180px|alt=Notre-Dame de Reims façade, gothic stone cathedral against blue sky|[[Reims Cathedral|Notre-Dame de Reims]] is the Roman Catholic cathedral where the [[Coronation of the French monarch|Kings of France were crowned]] until 1825.{{Efn-ur|The last ''sacre'' was that of [[Charles X of France|Charles X]], 29 May 1825.}}]]
France is a secular country in which [[freedom of religion]] is a constitutional right. The French policy on religion is based on the concept of ''[[laïcité]]'', a strict [[separation of church and state]] under which the government and public life are kept completely secular, detached from any religion. The region of [[Alsace]] and [[Moselle]] is an exception to the general French norm, since the [[local law in Alsace-Moselle|local law]] stipulates official status and state funding for [[Lutheranism]], [[Catholicism]] and [[Judaism]]. According to the national survey of 2020 holden by the [[INSEE]], 34% of the French population adhered to [[Christianity]], of whom 25% were Catholics and 9% other Christians (without further specification); at the same time, 11% of the French population adhered to [[Islam]], 0.5% to [[Buddhism]],  0.5% to Judaism, and 1.0% to other religions.<ref name=religion2020/> 53% of the population declared that they had no religion.<ref name=religion2020/>

Catholicism was the main religion in France for more than a millennium, and it was once the country's [[state religion]]. Its role nowadays, however, has been greatly reduced, although, as of 2012, among the 47,000 religious buildings in France 94% were still Catholic churches.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 February 2012|title=Observatoire du patrimoine religieux|url=http://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/rubriques/gauche/actualites/actualites-de-la-base-de-donnees|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126171213/http://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/rubriques/gauche/actualites/actualites-de-la-base-de-donnees|archive-date=26 November 2013|quote=94% des édifices sont catholiques (dont 50% églises paroissiales, 25% chapelles, 25% édifices appartenant au clergé régulier)}}</ref> During the [[French Revolution]], activists conducted a brutal [[dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution|campaign of de-Christianisation]], which put an end to the role of the Catholic Church as the state religion. In some cases, clergy and churches were attacked, with iconoclasm stripping the churches of statues and ornaments. After alternating between royal and secular republican governments during the 19th century, in 1905 France passed the [[1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State|1905 law on the Separation of the Churches and the State]], which established the aforementioned principle of ''laïcité''.<ref name="georgetown2">{{cite web|title=France|url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206213909/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france|archive-date=6 February 2011|publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}}</ref>

To this day, the government is prohibited from recognising specific rights to any religious community (with the exception of legacy statutes like those of military chaplains and the aforementioned local law in Alsace-Moselle). It recognises religious organisations according to formal legal criteria that do not address religious doctrine, and religious organisations are expected to refrain from intervening in policymaking.<ref>''Joy of Sects'', Sam Jordison, 2006, p. 166</ref> Some religious groups, such as [[Scientology]], the [[The Family International|Children of God]], the [[Unification Church]], and the [[Order of the Solar Temple]], are considered [[cult]]s (''sectes'' in French, which is considered a pejorative term<ref>{{Cite web |title=Society2; religion in France; beliefs; secularism (laicité) |url=http://www.understandfrance.org/France/Society2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916220047/http://www.understandfrance.org/France/Society2.html |archive-date=16 September 2009 |access-date=20 September 2009 |publisher=Understandfrance.org}}{{Self-published source|date=June 2016}}</ref>) in France, and therefore they are not granted the same status as recognised religions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commission d'enquête sur les sectes|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/rap-enq/r2468.asp|publisher=Assemblee-nationale.fr}}</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Health in France}}
[[File:P1000513_Paris_XIII_Salpetrière_reductwk.JPG|thumb|alt=Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, stone building with slate dome|The [[Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital]], a teaching hospital in Paris, is one of Europe's largest hospitals.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070117112822/http://www.paris-region.com/ard_uk/upload/document/D176.pdf How to conduct European clinical trials from the Paris Region ?] Clinical Trials. Paris. February 2003</ref>]]
The [[Health in France|French health care system]] is one of [[universal health care]] largely financed by government [[national health insurance]]. In its 2000 assessment of world health care systems, the [[World Health Organization]] found that France provided the "close to best overall health care" in the world.<ref name="who.int">{{Cite web |date=8 December 2010 |title=World Health Organization Assesses the World's Health Systems |url=https://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/ |access-date=6 January 2012 |publisher=Who.int}}</ref> The French health care system was ranked first worldwide by the World Health Organization in 1997.<ref>[http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html The ranking, see spreadsheet details for a whole analysis] photius.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Measuring Overall Health System Performance for 191 Countries |url=https://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper30.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805022057/http://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper30.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> In 2011, France spent 11.6% of its GDP on health care, or US$4,086 per capita,<ref name="WHO country facts: France">{{Cite web |title=WHO country facts: France |url=https://www.who.int/countries/fra/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111212445/http://www.who.int/countries/fra/en/ |archive-date=11 November 2013 |access-date=11 November 2013 |publisher=Who.int}}</ref> a figure much higher than the average spent by countries in Europe but [[Health care compared|less than in the United States]]. Approximately 77% of health expenditures are covered by government-funded agencies.<ref>The World Health Report 2000: WHO</ref>

Care is generally free for people affected by [[chronic disease]]s (''affections de longues durées'') such as cancer, AIDS or [[cystic fibrosis]]. The life expectancy at birth is 78 years for men and 85 years for women, one of the highest in the European Union and the World.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Espérance de vie, taux de mortalité et taux de mortalité infantile dans le monde |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=98&ref_id=CMPTEF02216 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Evolution de l'espérance de vie à divers âges |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=NATnon02229 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> There are 3.22 physicians for every 1000 inhabitants in France,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nombre de médecins pour 1000 habitants |url=http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/medecins.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305131215/http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/medecins.htm |archive-date=5 March 2010 |publisher=Statistiques mondiales |language=fr}}</ref> and average health care spending per capita was US$4,719 in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dépenses de santé par habitants |url=http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/sante.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212061623/http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/sante.htm |archive-date=12 December 2009 |publisher=Statistiques mondiales |language=fr}}</ref>
{{As of|2007}}, approximately 140,000 inhabitants (0.4%) of France are living with HIV/AIDS.<ref name =France/>

===Education===
{{Main|Education in France}}
[[File:Façade_de_l'École_normale_supérieure.JPG|thumb|upright|left|The [[École normale supérieure (Paris)|ENS]] produces among the most [[Nobel Prize]] laureates [[per capita]] in the world.<ref>Tom Clynes, [https://www.nature.com/news/where-nobel-winners-get-their-start-1.20757 Where Nobel winners get their start], [[Nature (journal)|Nature]], 7 October 2016</ref>]]
In 1802, [[Napoleon]] created the [[lycée]], the second and final stage of secondary education that prepares students for higher education studies or a profession.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Lycée |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/352505/lycee |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, [[Jules Ferry]] is considered the father of the French modern school, leading reforms in the late 19th century that established free, secular and compulsory education (currently mandatory until the age of 16).<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.senat.fr/rap/l97-504/l97-5041.html II. L'évolution du contenu de l'obligation scolaire]. Sénat.fr</ref><ref>{{In lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080546/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/site-jeunes/laicite/fiche-dates/fiche-1881-1882/fiche.pdf 1881–1882 : Lois Ferry École publique gratuite, laïque et obligatoire]. Assemblé Nationale</ref>

French education is centralised and divided into three stages: primary, secondary, and higher education. The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]], coordinated by the [[OECD]], ranked France's education as near the OECD average in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Compare your country – PISA 2018 |url=https://www2.compareyourcountry.org/pisa/country/FRA?lg=en |access-date=4 October 2021 |website=www2.compareyourcountry.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) France report |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_FRA.pdf |website=oecd}}</ref> France was one of the PISA-participating countries where school children perceived some of the lowest levels of support and feedback from their teachers.<ref name=":2"/> Schoolchildren in France reported greater concern about the disciplinary climate and behaviour in classrooms compared to other [[OECD]] countries.<ref name=":2"/>

Higher education is divided between [[Universities in France|public universities]] and the prestigious and selective ''[[Grande école|Grandes écoles]]'', such as [[Sciences Po|Sciences Po Paris]] for political studies, [[HEC Paris]] for economics, [[École Polytechnique|Polytechnique]], the [[École des hautes études en sciences sociales]] for social studies and the [[École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris]] that produce high-profile engineers, or the [[École nationale d'administration]] for careers in the [[Grands corps de l'État|Grands Corps]] of the state. The ''Grandes écoles'' have been criticised for alleged [[elitism]], producing many if not most of France's high-ranking civil servants, CEOs and politicians.<ref name="gécoles">{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.lefigaro.fr/formation/2010/01/08/01015-20100108ARTFIG00525-les-grandes-ecoles-dans-la-tourmente-.php Les grandes écoles dans la tourmente]&nbsp;– [[Le Figaro]]</ref>