№ 641, February 2026

Child labour affects 138 million children worldwide - and far more counting domestic work
Andrea Verhulst, Estelle Lauriere, Fengqing Chao

Close to 138 million children aged 5 to 17 around the world are in child labour, according to a joint report published by the ILO and UNICEF in 2025. Sub-­Saharan Africa remains the most strongly affected region, with 87 million children there in child labour. However, it is also an issue in certain regions of Europe, such as the Balkans. These estimates, moreover, are based on a strictly economic definition of work and exclude a large proportion of the domestic work performed by children. The Child Labour Database (CLD–INED), on the other hand, highlights the significant engagement of children across the globe in household chores, as well as the large workload that such chores represent for children, particularly girls.

https://www.ined.fr/en/node/24136

№ 642, March 2026

In France, as in Europe as a whole, net migration offsets the excess of deaths over births
Gilles Pison

n France, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births in 2025. But the population grew, with positive net migration more than offsetting negative natural population change. In the same way, across the European Union’s 27 countries, deaths have also exceeded births since 2012. But because Europe’s net migration has more than offset its negative population change until now, the EU-27’s population grew from 441 to 450 million inhabitants between 2012 and 2025.

https://www.ined.fr/en/publications/editions/population-and-societies/france-europe-whole-net-migration-offsets-excess

№ 643, April 2026

Fifty years of family reunification in France: an increasingly less common route of entry
Julia Descamps

Since 1976, family reunification has enabled third-country immigrants in France to be joined by their spouse and minor children. Use of this entry route is in decline and, as of 2023, it represented only 5% of all first residence permits issued. While other entry routes for families have been opened up, migration policies have tightened the financial and residential criteria for family reunification. The family model on which the policy is based does not fit the profile of new migrants. Family reunification is now primarily sought by men from the Maghreb region or sub-Saharan Africa who have started a family since their arrival in France.

https://www.ined.fr/en/publications/editions/population-and-societies/fifty-years-family-reunification-france-increasingly

№ 644, May 2026

Historically low fertility in the Maghreb
Zahia Ouadah-Bedidi, Ibtihel Bouchoucha, Soumaya Abdellatif

The Maghreb region has recently experienced a fertility decline, the pace and continuity of which has varied by country: Algeria and Tunisia have seen a rebound followed by further decline, and Morocco a steady fall. These trajectories reflect lasting changes in marriage, contraception, and family norms, against a socio-­economic backdrop of prolonged education and later labour market entry. These countries are likely to be facing a sustained period of low fertility, leading to population ageing and, given low net migration, the slowing of population growth.

https://www.ined.fr/en/publications/editions/population-and-societies/historically-low-fertility-maghreb

№ 645, June 2026

Vietnam: home to 100 million people today, how many tomorrow?
Gilles Pison, Catherine Scornet

The population of Vietnam reached 100 million inhabitants in 2023, close to its likely peak of around 110 million in 2050. Progress in life expectancy has slowed and fertility, after falling, has stabilized at just under two children per woman. The Vietnamese policy of one or two children was abolished in 2025 in an attempt to boost the country’s birth rate. The selective abortion of female embryos, a common practice in the north of the country, has led to an increase in the male-to-female birth ratio, which reached 114 boys per 100 girls in 2010. This imbalance has long-term consequences for the concerned generations.

https://www.ined.fr/en/publications/editions/population-and-societies/vietnam-home-100-million-people-today-how-many

№ 646, July-August 2026

Approximately 1 in 5 women in France will experience miscarriage during their lifetime
Marie-Caroline Compans, Helene Malmanche, Heini Vaisanen

In France, more than 1 in 5 women aged 40–49 have experienced a miscarriage, that is, 1 in 4 women who have ever been pregnant. Between 10% and 14% of pregnancies therefore end in miscarriage. The risk increases with age from around 34 years but is unrelated to education or financial issues. The emergency medical care provided by hospital gynecology departments is often experienced as inadequate by patients. Recent changes (immediate sick leave) and imminent adjustments (new guidelines for medical practice) mark the beginning of a necessary shift.

https://www.ined.fr/en/publications/editions/population-and-societies/approximately-1-5-women-france-will-experience