Stable but alarming death count

The collective Les Morts de la Rue has recorded 927 deaths of homeless individuals in France in 2025, a figure that is nearly stable compared to the 938 deaths in 2024. However, this apparent stability hides a darker reality: since 2012, the mortality rate of homeless individuals has more than doubled.

Younger than the general population

The victims present an alarming economic profile. The average age of death is 49 years, 30 years less than the national average of 79.5 years. From a macroeconomic perspective, this excess mortality represents a significant loss of human capital and potential contributions to the productive economy.

Growing number of women among victims

Men constitute 83% of the victims, but the proportion of women is increasing: 14% in 2025 compared to 11% over the period 2012-2024, indicating a growing feminization of extreme poverty. This trend reflects broader socioeconomic shifts, including the increasing precarization of isolated mothers and elderly women with insufficient pensions.

Mortality rate has more than doubled

The long-term trajectory shows a multiplication by 2.2 since 2012. The evolution over thirteen years draws an alarming curve. Between 2012 and 2025, the number of deaths of homeless individuals has multiplied by 2.2. This increase far exceeds that of the homeless population itself.

Homeless population has grown

The Foundation for Housing estimates today that there are 350,000 homeless individuals in France, compared to 143,000 according to the last official estimate by INSEE from 2012. By the end of 2026, the statistical institute will publish updated figures that will allow for a more refined analysis of the mortality/population ratio.

Mortality linked to cold reaches record

This increase occurs in a context of constrained budgets. The direct and indirect costs of extreme precarity (emergency housing, medical care, social interventions) weigh on local and national public finances. The collective Les Morts de la Rue notes that "these deaths occur in a context of historical precarity," pointing to "the result of political and societal choices." Mortality linked to cold reached a record level since 2012 in 2025 with 22 deaths, all occurring in autumn or winter.

Victims die prematurely

The demographic analysis reveals specific economic vulnerabilities. With an average age of 49 years, the victims die during a period of potential activity. This premature mortality reflects the accumulation of risk factors: limited access to healthcare, exposure to the elements, chronic malnutrition, substance consumption. Twenty children under the age of 15 are among the 927 victims of 2025, a figure that raises questions about the effectiveness of child protection measures.

Feminization of extreme poverty

The feminization of the phenomenon constitutes a worrying economic indicator. The increase in the proportion of women among homeless individuals who died (14% in 2025) likely reflects the growing precarization of isolated mothers, elderly women with insufficient pensions, and victims of domestic violence. According to France Info, this evolution is part of a broader dynamic of pauperization of certain socioeconomic categories.

Diverse paths to homelessness

306 on the street, 264 housed, 357 situation undetermined: the fragmentation of precarity. The distribution of victims according to their housing situation highlights the diversity of precarity trajectories. Of the 927 deaths, 306 individuals were actually living on the street at the time of their death, 264 were housed (shelters, emergency facilities, temporary housing) and 357 had an undetermined situation.

Housing not a guarantee of safety

The housed individuals represent 28% of the victims, highlighting that access to temporary shelter is not sufficient to ensure survival. Emergency housing facilities, often overcrowded, struggle to provide adequate medical and social support. The collective observes that "these figures are not statistical accidents. They are the pages of an indictment that our country writes, year after year, against itself."

Numbers likely underestimated

Why the numbers are necessarily underestimated. The collective emphasizes the incomplete nature of its data. The 927 deaths represent a "documented floor" of reality. Several factors explain this structural underestimation: deaths not reported in rural areas, people who died without their homeless status being identified, delays in transmitting information between field actors and the collective, people in precarious housing not counted as homeless.

Need for better data collection

The absence of a centralized national registry prevents any precise evaluation of the phenomenon. From an economic perspective, this statistical gap complicates the optimal allocation of public resources and the evaluation of cost-effectiveness of social policies. The 927 documented deaths therefore represent the incompressible minimum of a public health and social crisis with considerable budgetary implications.