Population, Mid-Year 2019: 65,130,000
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 66,696,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 29%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 20%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).

Percent of Adults Aged 65 and Over Receiving Long-Term Care, 2019: 9.9%
Adults Aged 65 And Over Rating Their Own Health As Fair, Poor Or Very Poor, 2019: 55.4%
People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population, 2021: 20.8%
Projected Number of People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population in 2050: 34.1%
Long-Term Care Workers Per 100 People Aged 65 And Over, 2019: 2
Long-Term Care Beds In Institutions and Hospitals Per 1,000 Population Aged 65 And Over, 2019: 51.4
Long-Term Care Expenditure As A Share of GDP (%), 2019: 2.4%

Source: OECD (2021), Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ae3016b9-en.

Formal Long-Term Care Workers In Institutions (FTE) (2015): 194,505

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD.Stat. Last accessed Jan. 25, 2023.

“In France, long-term care for the elderly and disabled belongs to a specific sector of the social system that combines elements of medical and social care, and which is referred to as the “health and social care sector” or “third sector”. The health and social care sector is split into two subsectors that encompass care for the elderly as well as for disabled people. Care may be provided at home or in residences. In addition, intermediate care services provide temporary care to dependent patients and respite services for their caregivers.”

Source: Chevreul K, Berg Brigham K, Durand-Zaleski I, Hernández-Quevedo C. France: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(3): 1–218.

“Home care is mainly provided by self-employed physicians and nurses and, to a lesser extent, by SSIAD [Community Nursing Service]. The SSIAD delivers nursing care at home for both disabled and elderly people mainly using employed auxiliary nurses and, to a lesser extent, nurses, who are mostly self-employed. In 2010, there were 2130 SSIAD units, corresponding to a capacity of around 106 000 patients (places). The vast majority of SSIAD places are dedicated to the elderly and only a small share (5%) is reserved for disabled people. Nearly two-thirds of SSIAD units are private, mostly non-profit-making institutions; the remaining units are run by public institutions in the health and social care sector. The SSIAD is entirely financed by SHI [Statutory Health Insurance] funds that are managed by CNSA [National Solidarity Fund for Autonomy] (see section 3.6).

“Residential care for elderly people is provided by many types of institution offering different levels of service. These include:

“Collective housing facilities (foyers logements). These offer a range of nonmedical facilities (such as catering and laundry) and almost no medical care. In 2010, there were 2800 such establishments, offering 147 000 places.

“Retirement homes (établissements d’hébergement pour personnes agées dépendantes). These accommodate the elderly but also offer medical care. In 2010, there were 7530 establishments with a total of 588 000 beds.

“Long-term care units. These accommodate people whose care requires constant medical monitoring. These units are provided in autonomous nursing homes or in hospital wards for very sick and dependent people. In 2011, around 32,000 beds were available in these institutions. These units belong to the health care sector, not the health and social care sector for the elderly and disabled.

“There are great disparities in the distribution of these institutions. Some departments are also far better equipped than others, where capacity does not match population need.”

Source: Chevreul K, Berg Brigham K, Durand-Zaleski I, Hernández-Quevedo C. France: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(3): 1–218.

“About 3.2 million people are registered as disabled in France, of whom 1.8 million are affected by a severe disability that limits their functional autonomy. Disability is measured in terms of an incapacity level, which takes into account the degree of difficulty with daily living. Specific committees for children and for adults at the department level evaluate the degree of incapacity and determine the right to certain benefits. They also have the authority to refer the disabled person to a specialized institution.”

Source: Chevreul K, Berg Brigham K, Durand-Zaleski I, Hernández-Quevedo C. France: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(3): 1–218.

“Around 200,000 disabled adults are accommodated in 4800 dedicated facilities. Various institutions provide services for disabled adults with different levels of functional autonomy, 90% of which are private non-profit-making and 10% public. Broadly, speaking, residential centres are linked to sheltered workshops and support people with disabilities who are capable of working during the day. Occupational centres take care of disabled adults who are not capable of working, with various service levels depending on the severity of the disability and the need for care. There are four sources of funding for dedicated facilities for disabled adults (see section 3.3.4); the health care part is paid by the CNSA on SHI funds while the costs of residential care are charged to the patient and/or to the general councils of the department. Institutions for the most heavily dependent people are financed entirely by the CNSA. Additionally, the state finances sheltered workshops (Table 5.1).”

Source: Chevreul K, Berg Brigham K, Durand-Zaleski I, Hernández-Quevedo C. France: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(3): 1–218.

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated Jan. 25, 2023 by Doug McVay, Editor.