Senior market

Introduction French Senior Citizens: More to Come The French of the Future: An Aging Population Services for the Elderly in France

What will the typical Frenchman be like in 30 years? The French government commissioned a series of studies to analyse French demographic trends and to paint a picture of what the France of tomorrow is likely to look like. The overriding conclusions confirm that France’s population is ageing rapidly. A few of the facts and figures include:

- Life expectancy by 2030 = 82 for men and 87 for women, versus 77 and 84 respectively in 2005.
- By 2030, France could count 20million more inhabitants over the age of 60 than today; 31million more aged between 20-59 but 14million less under the age of 20.
- Married women spend an average of 7 to 9 years as a widow.
- The number of over 60s in France is expected to double by 2050, those over 75 to triple and those over 85 to grow five-fold.

The repercussions of the demographic trends are still being analysed and debated. But one of the conclusions appears well accepted by all: a relentless demand for housing. The number of households is expected to increase by 24% compared to 1999, reaching nearly 30million by 2030. In France today, 54.7% of the population own their own home.

For the over 60s however, the proportion is much higher, at 70%. Several factors combine to keep senior citizens in their homes longer: improved housing conditions, greater health and fitness levels of the elderly, higher financial resources of the elderly and government policy to keep the elderly at home for as long as possible.