GENEVA

About 723,000 babies were born in France in 2022, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) said Tuesday in a release of its latest assessment of French demographics.

The birth rate hit a historic low not seen in more than 70 years.

In contrast, after a historic high of 668,900 deaths in 2020, the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of deaths remains high with about 667,000 recorded in 2022.

"This high figure ... is due to the aging of the population, but also to the ongoing pandemic and heat waves," said INSEE.

The French population was estimated at 68 million on Jan. 1, 2023, an increase of 0.3%.

The figures also show life expectancy at birth is 85.2 years for women and 79.3 for men.

After a sharp decline in 2020, life expectancy for men increased by only 0.1 years in 2022 compared to 2021.

For women, it did not increase. The result, according to INSEE, is that life expectancy for all is stagnant and 0.4 years below the figure in 2019.