France inheritance: Baby boomers to bequeath €6 trillion by 2040

During the 122nd Congress of French Notaries in Lille, Gilles Bonnet, president of the congress, highlighted significant shifts in wealth transfer within France. According to the Conseil supérieur du notariat, baby boomers are projected to bequeath more than 6,000 billion euros in France between 2025 and 2040.

Bonnet noted that the average age for inheritance in France is 66, which he suggested is often too late for effective investment. The congress aims to present 21 proposals to reform succession and donation laws to better reflect modern realities.

Notaries in France also play a critical role in public service by collecting taxes on successions, real estate transactions, and corporate transfers. In 2024, these collections amounted to 36.15 billion euros.