France urges citizens under 30 to have babies early as birth rate drops

The French government has announced plans to encourage young adults, especially those around age 29, to start having children earlier amid fears of a deepening fertility crisis.

Health officials say the move is aimed at preventing future regret, with many people facing fertility problems later in life and wishing they had acted sooner.

The campaign is part of a 16-point plan to boost France’s falling birth rate, a problem affecting many Western countries, including the UK, Sky News reported.

France’s fertility rate currently stands at 1.56 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population.

Officials say the decline is creating anxiety over how pensions and healthcare will be funded as the population ages and the number of working taxpayers shrinks.

Under the new strategy, the government plans to send “targeted, balanced and scientifically sound” information to young people on fertility, sexual health and contraception.

The health ministry stressed that fertility should be seen as a shared responsibility between men and women.

France is also expanding egg-freezing centres from 40 to 70 and positioning itself as a leader in fertility research.

The country already offers free egg-freezing for people aged 29 to 37 — a service that costs about £5,000 per round in the UK.

Critics, however, argue that encouraging childbirth alone won’t fix the problem, saying issues like housing, childcare, maternity care and financial stability matter more.

Demographers say the situation became more alarming after France recorded more deaths than births last year — a first that sent shockwaves through the country.

The government has also admitted that France’s maternal and infant mortality rates are higher than those of neighbouring countries and says a review of perinatal care is underway.