The demographic transition in France began earlier than in other industrial economies. I'm not even sure industrialization has much to do with it. The fertilit

The demographic transition in France began earlier than in other industrial economies. I'm not even sure industrialization has much to do with it. The fertility rate in Britain was still higher in the 1880s than it was in France back in 1800. Economically Britain was 20-50 years ahead of France but demographically France was almost a hundred years ahead. e.g. see https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033137/fertility-rate-france-1800-2020 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033137/fertility-rate-f... and https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033074/fertility-rate-uk-1800-2020 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033074/fertility-rate-u...