Young people in France are in good health overall. According to the INJEP, in 2023 (last data available), only 16% of young French people aged 16 to 29 said they had a health problem or a long-term illness. Eighty-height per cent considered their general health to be 'good or very good'.

Source : INJEP (2025).Chiffres clés de la jeunesse.

Although this population generally perceives itself to be in good health, young people’s health has become an increasing concern for public authorities in recent years. This reflects a more comprehensive understanding of health that encompasses not only physical well-being but also mental health, which has shown signs of deterioration among youth. Adolescence and young adulthood remain pivotal periods marked by significant physiological and psychological changes, during which new behaviours and practices emerge — including risk-related ones that may become entrenched over time.

Recent research highlights persistent and even widening health inequalities between children from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds in France, calling for strengthened prevention policies and early, sustained intervention. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), the gap in life expectancy between the wealthiest 5% and the poorest 5% now ranges from around 9 years for women to 13 years for men, and has increased in recent years. This trend is also reflected in broader health inequalities, particularly in the Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) data on morbidity and access to care.

Sources : INSEE (2025). From 2012‑2016 to 2020‑2024, the gap in life expectancy between low‑income and high‑income individuals widened. DREES (2024). Income and professional inequalities in chronic diseases: prevalence and incidence in France.

A range of stakeholders are involved in public youth health policies in France (such as national and local public authorities, professionals in the health, education and social action spheres, associations aimed at combating social exclusion and youth-oriented centres), which usually form part of comprehensive public health policies but address issues that are specific to young people.

Mental health, preventing addictive behaviours, sexual health, physic activity, nutrition and accessing rights to health are the public authorities' main fields of action in terms of youth health.

Increasing the well-being of all young people and reducing health inequalities between them, fostering access to rights to health and improving prevention and health promotion policies, when French public health policies have tended, historically, to give precedence to the curative approach, are all examples of challenges to which the national authorities and other youth advocates need to find answers.