Editorial: Le Monde

• France has entered a 'demographic winter' with a regular drop in birth rate and an aging population.
• The number of newborns has decreased by more than 21% in 15 years, to 663,000 in 2024. The lowest level since 1945.
• Despite having the highest fertility rate in the European Union, the situation is alarming as a declining and aging demographic threatens the socio-economic stability of the country.
• President Macron's so-called 'demographic rearmament', intended to address the issue, has been insufficient and too limited.
• Increasing birth rate is a complex mechanism and requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account housing, childcare, and purchasing power.

Conclusion: To overcome these challenges and increase the birth rate, it is necessary to rebalance public policies towards workers and young people, through a review of taxation and the financing of the social model.

---