En 2023, the use of antibiotics in France showed signs of stabilization, with a slight drop of -0.2% in prescriptions in community medicine compared to 2022, according to Public Health France.
According to an indicator expressed in defined daily doses (DDJ) per 1000 inhabitants, this consumption decreased by 3.3%. This decline is part of a declining trend since 2013although temporarily interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Who prescribes the most?
If general practitioners reduced their prescriptions by 1.3%, those of dentists and specialist doctors increased by 1.4% and 4.6% respectively. Since 2013, dental surgeons, in particular, have shown an average annual increase of +0.7% in their antibiotic prescriptions.
Consumption still high in Europe
Public health France lists 820.6 prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants in 2023. France aims for a reduction to less than 650 prescriptions of antibiotics per 1000 inhabitants per year by 2025, an objective set by the National Strategy for the Prevention of Infections and Antibiotic Resistance.
Despite this decline, France remains one of the countries with the highest consumption of antibiotics in Europe, ranking fifth.
Who uses the most antibiotics?
Data from Public Health France reveal significant disparities in the use of antibiotics depending on age, sex, and region:
– Young children : reduction in prescriptions for those under 5 years old, returning to a level slightly lower than 2019.
– Difference between men and women : in 2023, 56.2% of consumption (in DDJ) and 59.1% of prescriptions concerned women.
– Elderly people : consumption remains higher among those over 65.
– More consumption in the South : The Corsica and PACA regions show higher consumption.
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