According to the population statistics presented on Tuesday, there were 42 percent more marriages in France last year than in 2020. People who had postponed their wedding plans in 2020 because of the lockdown have now made up for it. The statistical authority said that young people in particular who were undecided because of the tense corona situation had now given their vows.
Nine months after the first lockdown, during which the population was strictly housebound, the number of births initially collapsed. Between mid-December 2020 and mid-February 2021, ten percent fewer babies were born than in the same period last year, the statistics showed. The economic insecurity and possibly also the concern about complications during pregnancy would have kept couples from realizing a desire to have children.
From March and especially in the summer, the number of births then skyrocketed, so that the bottom line was that there were even slightly more births last year than in 2020.
According to the statistics, the number of inhabitants in France rose by 172,000 to 67.2 million. The influx of migrants, which is currently a topic of discussion in the French presidential election campaign, contributed to around two-thirds of the growth.