The number of centenarians in France has risen sharply since the 1960s, with 30,000 elderly people having at least a hundred, indicates an INSEE study published on Wednesday April 5.
A clear majority are women, notes the institute.
Since the years 1960-1975, the number of people aged 100 or more has multiplied by almost thirty, notes the National Institute of Statistics.
The probability of becoming a centenarian has clearly increased over time: 0.9% of women born in 1900 became centenarians, compared to 3% of those born in 1922.
An upward trend
This trend should continue.
Among people born in 1940, 6% of women and 2% of men would reach the age of one hundred, according to INSEE projections.
France could thus have 76,000 centenarians in 2040. In 2070, their number could be between 100,000 and 600,000, according to the various estimates, which depend in particular on the evolution of life expectancy.
Currently, of the 30,000 centenarians living in France, 86% are women, says INSEE.
"
At any age, the mortality of women is lower than that of men
," recalls the institute.
From the age of sixty, in particular, the gap between the number of people of each sex widens: women represent 53% of sixties, 61% of octogenarians and 73% of nonagenarians.
"The least fragile of their generation"
Slightly more than one in two centenarians lives in an institution.
Among the others, 33% live alone, 12% live with another person, most of the time one of their children, and 4% live as a couple.
"
The fairly high frequency of living at home for centenarians is partly explained by the fact that they are the least fragile of their generation and therefore the most likely to be independent
", details INSEE.
Becoming a centenarian is much more common among graduates of higher education, who “
generally have a higher standard of living, which promotes their access to care
”, also notes INSEE.
Compared to the total number of inhabitants in France, the number of centenarians remains “
modest
”: they represent 0.04% of the population.
France is the European country with the most centenarians, according to INSEE.