A symbol. In just a few days, France went from being the youngest Prime Minister in the Vmy The Republic, Gabriel Attal, 35 years old, the eldest, Michel Barnier, 73 years old. Beyond the political game, this change takes on a particular significance, at a time when our country is silently undergoing a profound change: it is ageing. And rapidly. Proof of this is that centenarians, exceptional even thirty years ago, are today almost commonplace: there are around 30,000 of them in France, thirty times more than in the years 1960-1975. In 2070, there will be nearly 200,000, according to projections by the National Institute of Demographic Studies.
In an ageing world, France is no exception. at 1Ahem In January 2024, more than one in five inhabitants (21.5%), or 14.7 million people, were over 65 years old. A proportion that has been increasing for more than thirty years, indicates the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), in the demographic report published on January 16. This ageing has accelerated since the mid-2010s, with particularly large baby boom generations reaching the age of sixty. In 2070, those over 65 will represent 29% of the population, compared to less than 13% in 1970.
At the same time, the birth rate is falling. In 2023, France recorded 678,000 births, 20% fewer than in 2010. There are therefore proportionally more elderly people. And the increase in longevity further distorts the age pyramid upwards. In 2010, at birth, a boy had a life expectancy of 78 years and a girl 84.6 years. In 2023, the former will have gained two years of life expectancy, the latter just over a year. Medical advances have also improved the chances of living in good health into old age: a 65-year-old woman now has a “disability-free life expectancy” of 12.6 years, and a man 11.3 years.
While we can collectively rejoice in living longer, this profound transformation is fraught with social and economic consequences. In fact, an older country structurally generates less growth, because consumption tends to decline with age. And more savings, to the detriment of investment. Productivity, the fuel of growth, tends to increase until the age of 50-55 and then decline.
While it is difficult to establish a clear link between age and innovation, a study published in the United States suggests that companies innovate more in regions where the working population is younger. In contrast, studies by Yunus Aksoy and Tobias Grasl show that the number of patents filed is lower as the age of the workers increases. The advanced age of the heads of French SMEs (23% are over 60, according to INSEE) does not help. Caught up in the search for a buyer, many have little time to focus on the innovations that will allow their companies to conquer the markets of tomorrow.
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