Statistics, demography, and censuses: very useful resources for your genealogy.
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As of January 1, 2020, France (excluding overseas territories) exceeds 67 million inhabitants, an increase of 0.28% compared to January 1, 2019. INSEE estimates that the French population will exceed 70 million by 2030. This growing number is explained by an increase in life expectancy, a positive natural balance, and immigration to a lesser extent.
With nearly 30 million inhabitants in 1795, France was in 3rd place in the world in terms of population, behind China and India. This position is explained by a high birth rate and a significant drop in the mortality rate. A phenomenon presented as the first phase of the French demographic revolution.
However, the following century was marked by a very slow demographic growth compared to our European neighbors. Indeed, France entered its second phase of demographic revolution with a declining fertility rate. Fewer young people, more seniors, but also more women of childbearing age. If France had maintained constant fertility until 1880, the population in 1951 would have reached 437 million French people. A pace of growth incompatible with the living conditions and technical progress of the time.
Finally, the third phase of this revolution lies in the stagnation of mortality and fertility rates, which tend, in the long term, towards a positive natural balance.
Wars also had an impact on French demography in the 20th century. Indeed, natural balances were negative for the years 1915 (-265,000), 1935 (-17,852), and 1940 (-179,000). These are explained, obviously, by a very high number of deaths that occurred during the two world wars and a very low fertility rate, as many women were separated from their husbands with whom they could have children. We also note an extremely low positive natural balance for the year 1945 of only 2,000.
The Baby Boom clearly appears in the demographic data of the same century, with the natural balance jumping from 2,000 in 1945 to 327,000 five years later. Since 1970 and until 2015, the natural balance has not exceeded 300,000, and the fertility rate has stabilized around 2 children per woman (compared to 2.6 children per woman between 1920 and 1970).
Statistics and censuses are valuable tools for your genealogy. The population was already counted in France under the Ancien Régime with the parish censuses and hearths of the Bailliages and Senéchaussées of France in 1328. This was followed, in 1664, by a national survey in France conducted by Colbert, which included taxable individuals from the age of eight.
Counting the population was necessary for the country's finances and their control. It was only in 1694 that Louis Phélypeaux ordered the conduct of a "head count" of the entire French population, indicating the number of houses, heads of family, women, children, and servants.
From 1831 to 1946, a population census was organized every 5 years. Since 1841, the population has been counted at their actual place of residence, by municipality.
Population censuses are digitized and freely accessible on the websites of the Departmental or Communal Archives. Since these censuses are conducted by municipality, it is important to know the place of residence of your ancestors at the time of the census. However, if your ancestor does not appear in the municipality where you are conducting research, it is possible to consult the censuses of neighboring municipalities.
To find an ancestor in the census of a municipality, simply search for their first and last names in this list. It is not alphabetical but presented by neighborhood and surrounding localities. The larger the city, the longer the search will be.
Censuses contain very interesting information for the genealogy of an ancestor and their family. The name, first names, occupation, age (or year of birth), marital status, nationality, and additional information such as religion, disabilities and diseases, and other observations specific to the enumerator may be recorded.
Note that first names and age mentioned may vary from one census to another. If a family member is absent, this may be for several reasons: they have become heads of their own household, they work at the home of another head of household, they have moved in with another family member, they have died, or they were forgotten.
Happy researching!