French Household Confidence Falls to Lowest Level Since 2013

French household confidence fell five points to 80 in October, its lowest level since June 2013, with households more negative about personal finances and past living standards.

The Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France’s national statistics institute, published the October reading Oct. 27. The index was 20 points below its long-term average of 100, calculated over January 1987 through December 2025.

The balance measuring expected personal finances fell nine points to -24 from -15 in September. The unemployment-expectations balance rose five points to 61 from 56. The balance for past living standards dropped to -85, its lowest level since the survey began in October 1972. The balances are measured in points, not percentages.

The synthetic index combines six opinion balances covering past and expected living standards in France, past and expected personal finances, unemployment and intentions to make major purchases. INSEE surveys about 2,000 households by telephone each month. Responses for the October reading were collected from Sept. 25 to Oct. 19.

The daily reading for France’s 10-year constant-maturity government bond reference yield was 5.126% on Oct. 22 and 4.94% on Oct. 27. The yield had made its first move above 5% since 2002 on Oct. 21.

Demonstrations took place Oct. 24. The French Interior Ministry counted 289 public actions and 410,000 participants, including 110,000 in Paris; the CGT union gave a separate turnout estimate of nearly 800,000.

Because the survey ended before those later events, it does not capture household views after them or establish that they caused the October decline.