In France, the female population significantly dominates the oldest age groups. Recent demographic data confirms that women live on average longer than men, with a life expectancy reaching 85.7 years compared to 80 years for men in 2023 according to Insee. This difference of nearly six years translates mechanically into a female overrepresentation beyond 90 years, and even more so beyond 95 years.
However, no official publication directly provides the percentage of women reaching 95 years in isolation. The available statistics, however, allow for a fairly accurate picture of this demographic reality.
Life Expectancy of Women in France and the 95-Year Threshold
Life expectancy at birth does not indicate how many women reach a given age. It indicates an average, pulled down by early deaths and pulled up by longevity gains at advanced ages. To know what proportion of women actually reach 95 years, one must consult mortality tables by generation.
What Insee’s data shows is that the share of women increases significantly with age. Among people aged 60 to 74, 53% are women. Beyond 75 years, this proportion rises to 61%. Beyond 85 years, France had 2.3 million people as of January 1, 2021, of which a clear majority were women.
The increase in female life expectancy of about ten years over fifty years directly influences the number of women who cross the thresholds of 90, 95, or 100 years. The available data does not allow for an exact percentage to be set for the 95-year threshold, but the trend is unambiguous: the probability of reaching a very old age remains significantly higher for women.
Centenarians in France: An Indirect Indicator of Female Survival at 95
While there is no isolated official figure for those reaching 95 years, statistics on centenarians provide useful insight. France currently has about 30 times more centenarians than in 1970. This explosion in the number of people over 100 years reflects advances in medicine, nutrition, and living conditions.
Among these centenarians, the gender structure is striking. According to figures from the Retirement Insurance published in 2025, 81% of centenarians in the general scheme are women. This imbalance is explained by higher male mortality at all ages, which accumulates over the decades.
This ratio of 81% among centenarians allows us to deduce that the female proportion among those reaching 95 years is also largely majority, probably within a comparable range. Women who reach 95 years statistically have a better chance of continuing to live than men of the same age.
Why Do Women Live Longer?
Several factors combine to explain this longevity gap:
- Biological differences, particularly hormonal, which provide better cardiovascular protection before menopause
- Historically less frequent risky behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, workplace accidents), although this gap tends to narrow among recent generations
- More regular and earlier access to healthcare, documented by public health surveys
These factors do not act in isolation. Their cumulative effect over several decades produces the observed gap at very old ages.
Aging of the French Population: Projections and Data Limitations
Insee’s projections anticipate that the number of people over 60 will rise from 18.1 million in 2021 to 22.6 million in 2045, and then to 23.8 million in 2070. The share of those aged 75 and over in the total population would nearly double, rising from 9% to 18% by 2070.
This dynamic of aging of the French population will mechanically inflate the number of people reaching 95 years. The baby boomer generations, born between 1946 and 1964, are just beginning to cross the 80-year mark. Their massive arrival in the very old age group will occur in the 2030s and 2040s.
What Mortality Tables Do Not Capture
The projections are based on assumptions of continued life expectancy gains. However, several factors could alter the trajectory:
- The long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mortality of older individuals remain to be quantified
- The increase in obesity and chronic diseases among younger generations could hinder longevity gains
- Social inequalities in aging are considerable: healthy life expectancy varies significantly by income level and socio-professional category
Field reports also diverge on the quality of life at 95 years. Reaching a very old age says nothing about the autonomy retained or the actual daily life of these individuals.
Women Aged 95 and Older: An Incomplete Demographic Portrait
Insee regularly publishes age pyramids and data on the population by age group. The tables of the French economy detail the distribution by gender and age group. But no official table publishes a specific female survival rate at the 95-year threshold in isolation and updated annually.
What we know for sure: as of January 1, 2021, 35% of people aged 60 or older were 75 years or older, and 13% were 85 years or older. The proportion decreases sharply at each five-year interval. The share of women, however, continues to increase as one moves up the age scale.
To obtain a precise figure, it would be necessary to cross-reference generational mortality tables with cohort birth numbers. This work exists in specialized demographic literature, but it is not subject to regular public communication.
The French demographic reality can be summed up in a solid observation: women represent an overwhelming majority of the very old population, whether we look at those aged 85 and over, 95 and over, or centenarians. The gender gap, far from closing at extreme ages, is widening. This feminization of old age raises concrete questions about support, suitable housing, and funding for dependency that demographic projections make increasingly urgent each year.