Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Insee – Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Demographic and Social Studies Unit – Demographic Surveys and Studies Division, Demographic Accounting Section – Immigration Statistics and Studies Unit
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
The regional breakdown of the Member States in the regional demographic tables is done under the most recent NUTS classification. There are agreements between Eurostat and Candidate countries as well as between Eurostat and EFTA countries, for which statistical regions have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS. For more information on the versions in force, please see Eurostat NUTS.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Not applicable.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.5. Statistical unit
Number of persons.
3.6. Statistical population
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.7. Reference area
Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail. Immigrants, emigrants and acquisition of citizenship data are available at national level.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Population: since 1982. Population by sex and age: since 1991. Number of births: since 1957. Births by sex and age: since 1994. Number of deaths: since 1957. Deaths by sex and age: since 1994. Birth order: since 2013. Immigration: since 2004. Emigration: since 2004. Legally induced abortions: since 2014. Marriages: since 1960 Infant deaths: since 1960 Infant deaths by sex and age: since 2007.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Not available.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not available.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Statistical confidentiality is guaranteed in law.
Statistical confidentiality gives people and legal entities that provide information used to produce statistics the assurance that they will not be the subject of an individual administrative decision concerning them. It is guaranteed by French Act No 51-71 of 7 June 1951 on Legal Obligation, Coordination and Confidentiality in Statistical Matters, as amended.
In particular, Article 6 thereof lays down the rules on confidentiality and the conditions that apply to all surveys conducted by the French Official Statistical Service. The data on individuals from these surveys may not, unless the archive administration decides otherwise, be communicated by the department holding the data before a period of 75 years for natural persons and 25 years for legal entities has elapsed.
The obligations relating to statistical confidentiality also apply to administrative data that INSEE or the Ministerial Statistical Offices (MSOs) may receive under Article 7bis of the aforementioned Act.
The confidentiality obligation also applies to private data used for the needs of surveys for statistical purposes by the French Official Statistical Service under Article 3bis of the aforementioned Act.
Finally, Article 6 bis of this Act establishes the Statistical Confidentiality Committee, the mission of which is to make a decision on any question relating to statistical confidentiality and to issue opinions on requests for the provision of data on individuals collected by means of statistical surveys or transmitted to the French Official Statistical Service for the purpose of compiling statistics.
At European level, the confidentiality of statistical information is ensured by Article 338 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union: “The production of Union statistics shall conform to [...] statistical confidentiality”. Statistical confidentiality is also addressed in Chapter V of Regulation No 223/2009, as amended, and in Implementing Regulation No 557/2013 as regards access to confidential data for statistical purposes.
For more information for statisctcal confidentiality Principle 5.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Not concerned.
8.1. Release calendar
Every Tuesday before the third Thursday of the year. For example: 13 January 2026.
Annual. Living births and deaths are also disseminated on a monthly basis.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Annual regular publications in January N + 1 and summer N+1 for national level. Publications in January N + 1 for population at regional level. Annual regular publications in April N + 1 (immigrants) for national level. No regular publications for emigrants.
See the table 11.2.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Not available.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
Not available.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.2. Sampling error
See the table 13.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.3. Non-sampling error
See the table 13.3 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
14.1. Timeliness
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data are comparable between national and regional data.
15.2. Comparability - over time
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data published by INSEE do not take into account data of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy islands, which are not included in Guadeloupe any more since 2007. Saint Martin is a EU territory. Moreover, residence Permits Statistics only concern immigrants from countries whose nationals require a residence permit, and who actually obtain a permit ; International Migration Statistics include immigrants who do not need or get such permit.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Coherence for immigration, emmigrants, population by country of birth or citizenship, because based on census. Population Y+1 = population Y + births Y - deaths Y + net migration Y + statistical adjustment Y.
Not available.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data are first provisionnal and then definitive. Population estimates are produced with data on births and deaths (definitive or estimations) and estimations of net migration and adjustment. They are not definitive and revised every year after, until they are definitive. Revision for emigrants: same as population. Revision for acquisition of nationality N in N+1.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Live births: First estimates of births registered in year N are disseminated in January N+1. They are usually revised 6 to 9 months later and data are considered as definitive. Deaths: First estimates of deaths registered in year N are disseminated in January N+1. They are usually revised 6 to 9 months later and data are considered then as definitive. Population: The definitive total population is given by the census. Definitive population on 1 January N is published in January N + 3 (except for Mayotte). Population estimates are produced for years N+1, N+2, N+3 with data on births and deaths (definitive or estimations) and estimations of net migration and adjustment. Revision for acquisition of nationality N in N+1.
Live births and deaths are definitive for 2024 and before. Population is definitive for 2023 and before. Net migration and adjustment are definitive for 2022 and before. For Mayotte, the definitive total population is given by the census. Population was revised every 5 years. Last revision in 2017.
18.1. Source data
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual statistical productions.
18.3. Data collection
Civil status: data validation on fall N+1. Population, net migration and adjustment: definitive for 31 December N-2. Updated each year. Emigrants: definitive for 31 December N-2. Updated each year.
Data collection, coding, validation and imputation if needed.
18.6. Adjustment
Due to an improvement in the questionnaire, population data in 31 December 2015 (and after) are not comparable to previous population data. An adjustment has been introduced to allow time comparison. Adjustment is estimated at national level to: -65330 in 2015; -82982 in 2016; -100263 in 2017, ‑83625 in 2018, -83893 in 2019, -34038 in 2020, -34038 in 2021 and 17016 in 2022. A new adjustment has been introduced for the demographic report 2024, for 2020 and 2021 to take account of changes to the census collection protocol and exceptional demographic changes due to the health crisis. This adjustment has been updated for the demographic report 2025, particularly to better account for the war in Ukraine—and extended. A detailed explanation is available on insee.fr Conseils pour l'utilisation des résultats statistiques (publication in French), Tips on using census results (publication in English). This adjustment is estimated at national level to: +83000 in 2020, +127000 in 2021, +40000 in 2022, +19000(p) in 2023, +20000(p) in 2024, +60000(p) in 2025. Differences in the field for France: Data published by Insee do not take into account data of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy islands, which are not included in Guadeloupe any more since 2007. All data before 2013 (2012 and before) submitted to Eurostat contains France metropolitan, four French overseas departments (Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion) including Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy in Guadeloupe. All data after 2012 (2013 and after) submitted to Eurostat contains France metropolitan, four French overseas departments (Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion) including Saint Martin in Guadeloupe. Statistics of population include Mayotte since 31 December 2013. As the population on 31 December 2012 does not include this island, an other adjustment is therefore needed. The adjustment in 2013 is equal to the population on Mayotte estimated on 31 December 2012.
In 2023, the administrative document used to register births and deaths, used to produce the births and deaths statistics, was updated to better reflect changes in society. For example, the second parent for a birth can now be either a father or a mother. This change has no impact on the number of births and deaths but can have an impact on some characteristics In particular, this update has changed the way in which information on the parents' marital status is collected: previously, the information was deduced from whether or not a date of marriage was filled in; with the new forms, the question is explicitly asked before the date is requested. As a result, the new form makes it possible to identify more situations where the parents are married when the child is born. There is therefore a break in the series between 2021 and 2022 (partially affected by the renovation because the new forms were used in advance in some places) and between 2022 and 2023 (after renovation). The proportion of births outside marriage falls from 64.0% in 2021 to 58.8% in 2023. Population estimates for Mayotte as of 1 January are calculated using the usual method: until 2017, the last year for which a population census is available for Mayotte, population levels are taken directly from the census; for subsequent years, the (provisional) population on 1 January of year N is obtained by adding to the population on 1 January of year N-1 the natural balance for year N-1 (definitive until 2024, then estimated) and the net migration balance for year N-1 (estimated from 2017 onwards). The population estimates for Mayotte published here therefore do not take into account the census carried out in this department between 27 November 2025 and 10 January 2026.
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Number of persons.
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail. Immigrants, emigrants and acquisition of citizenship data are available at national level.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
Data collection, coding, validation and imputation if needed.
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Annual. Living births and deaths are also disseminated on a monthly basis.
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
Data are comparable between national and regional data.
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
