French Birth Rate Plummets to Lowest in Decades on Pandemic
- Number of October births fell 10% compared with year earlier
- France has long enjoyed relatively high fertility within OECD
A woman and her son run in the deserted Sainte-Catherine street in Bordeaux, during Covid-19 restrictions.
Photographer: Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Pandemic lockdowns may have encouraged home baking and online shopping, but baby-making not so much -- at least in France.
The number of French births dropped to the lowest level in almost three decades in October, intensifying a downward trend in one of Europe’s most fertile countries.