Cover of higher education & research in France, facts and figures

📄 Sources:MENESR-DEPP
MAAF.

 Coverage:Metropolitan France + overseas departments (DOM) excluding Mayotte until 2010, including Mayotte from 2011.

Proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation: this is the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a hypothetical generation of individuals who, at each age, have the candidate rate and pass rate observed in the year under consideration. This number is obtained by calculating, for each age, the share of baccalauréat holders in the total population for this age, and obtaining the sum of these rates by age. Calculations are made using Insee's demographic data series. Using the base applicable in March 2016, provisional values can be calculated for the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 sessions. The values for earlier sessions are definitive.

Pass rate: this is calculated as the ratio of the number of successful candidates to the number of candidates present. A candidate is considered present if he or she has sat at least one of the constituent exam papers.

Age: age is defined as the difference between the year of observation and the birth year, whenever the birthday may fall.

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07 the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders

At the 2016 session, 633,500 of the 715,200 candidates obtained their baccalauréat (88.6%), bringing the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation to 78.6%. Over half of these baccalauréat graduates obtained a general baccalauréat.

At the 2016 session of the baccalauréat, 715,210 candidates sat the exam in France and 633,497 obtained their diploma. The pass rate of 88.6% was slightly higher than in 2015 (+0.7 points) (chart 07.01). The pass rate was stable in both the general and the technological baccalauréats, but rose in the vocational baccalauréats (+2.0 points).

At this session, 327,100 candidates obtained a general baccalauréat, 126,600 a technological baccalauréat and 179,800 a vocational baccalauréat (table 07.02). In 2016, there were 11,000 more baccalauréat holders in the general path than in 2015, with the highest increase in scientific (S) series. The technological path had 1,400 more baccalauréat holders, all in the STI2D and STD2A series. The rise in 3,200 vocational baccalauréat holders was concentrated in the service specialities.

Between 1995 and 2012, the distribution of baccalauréat holders shifted in favour of vocational specialities. The proportion of vocational baccalauréat holders increased sharply between 2010 and 2012 (nearly six points), when the vocational path was reformed, i.e. nearly eighteen points higher than in 1995. The vast majority of pupils in their fourth year of secondary education ('troisième') who choose the vocational path now opt for a course leading to the baccalauréat. In turn, the proportion of general baccalauréat holders has fallen by nearly ten points and technological baccalauréat holders by nearly eight points. The distribution of baccalauréat holders in 2016 remained stable compared with the previous session.

In 2016, 78.6% of young people in a generation (excluding Mayotte) obtained the baccalauréat: 40.4% a general baccalauréat, 15.7% a technological baccalauréat and 22.6% a vocational baccalauréat (chart 07.03). Since 1985, the annual number of baccalauréat diplomas awarded has more than doubled and the proportion of baccalauréat holders has gained nearly fifty points. This sharp increase is mainly due to the growth in the number of general baccalauréat holders and the significant boom in the vocational baccalauréat, introduced in 1987. Between 1995 and 2008, in contrast to the long period of growth that had gone before, the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation reached a ceiling and fluctuated at around 62%. It then increased by three points in 2009 following the introduction of the vocational baccalauréat resit session and a further thirteen points between 2010 and 2012 when the vocational path was reformed (baccalauréat in three years rather than four). It has now stabilised at around 78% after a transition phase.

More than one baccalauréat holder in four comes from a background of managers and higher intellectual professions, which is the most represented socio-occupational category (table 07.04). This is particularly true of the general path, with more than one baccalauréat holder in three from this background. Children of office workers account proportionally for the highest number of technological baccalauréat holders and children of manual workers for the vocational path.

📄 Sources:MENESR-DEPP
MAAF.
 Coverage:Metropolitan France + overseas departments (DOM) excluding Mayotte until 2010, including Mayotte from 2011.

How to cite this paper :

THOMAS Fanny. The baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders. In: Higher education & research in France, facts and figures - 49 indicators [online]. KABLA-LANGLOIS Isabelle (dir.). Paris: Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, 2017. 10th ed. Chapter 07 [Accessed 03/19/2024]. ISBN 978-2-11-152033-2. https://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/10EN/EESR10EN_ES_07-the_baccalaureat_examination_and_baccalaureat_holders.php

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Proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation: this is the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a hypothetical generation of individuals who, at each age, have the candidate rate and pass rate observed in the year under consideration. This number is obtained by calculating, for each age, the share of baccalauréat holders in the total population for this age, and obtaining the sum of these rates by age. Calculations are made using Insee's demographic data series. Using the base applicable in March 2016, provisional values can be calculated for the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 sessions. The values for earlier sessions are definitive.

Pass rate: this is calculated as the ratio of the number of successful candidates to the number of candidates present. A candidate is considered present if he or she has sat at least one of the constituent exam papers.

Age: age is defined as the difference between the year of observation and the birth year, whenever the birthday may fall.

 

Key figures


Number of candidates for the baccalauréat exam
715,200
 candidates
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Vocational baccalauréat pass rate
82.5%
 
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Baccalauréat pass rate
88.6%
 
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
General baccalauréat pass rate
91.5%
 
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
  See more key figures  
Technological baccalauréat pass rate
90.7%
 
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Number of general baccalauréat holders
327,078
 general baccalauréat holders
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Number of technological baccalauréat holders
126,578
 general baccalauréat holders
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Number of vocational baccalauréat holders
179,841
 general baccalauréat holders
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
  See more key figures  
Number of baccalauréat holders
633,497
 baccalauréat holders
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Share of technological baccalauréat holders in a generation
15.7%
 
2016
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Share of vocational baccalauréat holders in a generation
22.6%
 
2016
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
Share of baccalauréat holders in a generation
78.6%
 
2016
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP
  See one more key figure  
Share of general baccalauréat holders in a generation
40.4%
 
2016
Metropolitan France + overseas departments
 
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Extract from the chapter "07. the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders".

Source: MENESR-DEPP

07.01 Change in baccalauréat pass rate according to study path since 1995 (%)

  
General Baccalauréat
Technological Baccalauréat
Vocational Baccalauréat
Total Baccalauréat
 
 
📄 Sources:MENESR-DEPP
MAAF
 Coverage: Metropolitan France + overseas departments (DOM) excluding Mayotte until 2010, including Mayotte from 2011.

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07.02 Change in and distribution of baccalauréat holders between sessions 1995, 2015 and 2016

 
1995 session 1 2015 session session2016
Passes Distribution (%) Passes Distribution (%) Passes Distribution (%)
General Baccalauréatl
ES 76,555 15.6 100,360 16.2 102,887 16.2
L 71,460 14.5 49,870 8.1 50,974 8.1
S 139,031 28.2 166,824 27.0 173,217 27.3
Total general series 287,046 58.3 317,054 51.2 327,078 51.6
Technological Baccalauréat
STI2D-STD2A (formerly STI) 35,217 7.2 29,580 4.8 31,344 5.0
STMG (formerly STT and STG) 78,894 16.0 60,124 9.7 59,673 9.4
ST2S (formerly SMS) 13,337 2.7 20,608 3.3 20,807 3.3
Other technological series 10,819 2.2 14,832 2.4 14,754 2.3
Total technological series 138,267 28.1 125,144 20.2 126,578 20.0
Vocational Baccalauréat
Production 26,218 5.3 80,650 13.0 80,766 12.8
Services 40,878 8.3 95,996 15.5 99,075 15.6
Total vocational specialisms 67,096 13.6 176,646 28.5 179,841 28.4
Total 492,409 100.0 618,844 100.0 633,497 100.0
 

1 Excluding Mayotte.

📄 Sources:MENESR-DEPP
MAAF
 Coverage: Metropolitan France + overseas departments (DOM) excluding Mayotte for 1995, including Mayotte from 2014.

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07.03 Proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation (sessions from 1950-2016 p) (%)

  
General Baccalaureat
Technological Baccalaureat
Vocational Baccalaureat
Total Baccalaureat
 
 

The proportions of baccalauréat holders in a generation for the sessions from 2013 to 2016 have been updated based on the demographic review published by Insee in March 2016.
Values may therefore differ from those published last year. This review provides provisional population estimates from 2014 onwards. The proportions of baccalauréat holders in a generation for sessions 2014 to 2016 are therefore provisional.
p Provisional.
1 1969: First session of the technological Baccalauréat.
2 1987: First session of the vocational Baccalauréat.
3 2009: Creation of the resit session for the vocational Baccalauréat.
4 2011-2014: Reform of the vocational path.

📄 Sources:MENESR-DEPP
MAAF
 Coverage: Metropolitan France + overseas departments (DOM) excluding Mayotte.

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07.04 Distribution of successful candidates (excluding agricultural technological and vocational specialities) in 2016 by social background (%)

 
General Baccalaureat Technological Baccalaureat Vocational Baccalaureat Total Baccalaureat
Social origin recorded, of which: 97.1 95.1 84.9 93.6
Farmers 1.9 1.5 1.8 1.8
Craftsmen, tradesmen, business leaders 9.6 10.0 12.7 10.4
Managers, higher intellectual professions 35.3 17.0 9.7 25.6
Technicians and associated professions 15.7 15.4 11.3 14.6
Employees 17.3 22.0 16.0 17.9
Manual workers 11.2 19.5 34.4 18.4
Retired 1.6 1.9 3.6 2.1
Others with no professional activity 7.3 12.7 10.4 9.2
All 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

 
📄 Source:MENESR-DEPP
 Coverage: Metropolitan France + overseas departments (DOM).

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Related statistical publication

 Note d'information DEPP 16.22 - Le baccalauréat 2016 - Fanny Thomas - July 2016
À la session du baccalauréat de juin 2016, avec 88,5 % d’admis en France entière, le taux de réussite global est légèrement plus élevé que celui de 2015 (87,8 %).

Le taux de réussite au baccalauréat général, de 91,4 %, est identique à celui de 2015. Celui du baccalauréat technologique, qui avait augmenté fortement de 2005 à 2014, est stable depuis à 90,7 %. Dans la voie professionnelle, le taux de réussite gagne 1,9 point et dépasse son niveau de 2014 avec 82,2 %. On compte ainsi 3 100 bacheliers professionnels de plus qu’en 2015. La part des bacheliers dans une génération augmente de 77,7 % en 2015 à 78,6 % en 2016 en raison du plus grand nombre de candidats dans la voie générale.

Other editions

Etat de l'enseignement supérieur et de la rechercheHigher education & research in France, facts and figures 9th edition - November 2016
07 - the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders - Fanny Thomas
At the 2015 session, 618,800 of the 703,900 candidates obtained their baccalauréat (87.9%), bringing the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation to 77.2%. Over half of these candidates obtained a general baccalauréat [Consult the following page]
Etat de l'enseignement supérieur et de la rechercheHigher education & research in France, facts and figures 8th edition - November 2015
07 - the baccalauréat examination and baccalauréat holders - Fanny Thomas
At the 2014 session, 625,700 of the 710,800 candidates obtained their baccalauréat (88.0%), bringing the proportion of baccalauréat holders in a generation to 77.4%. Over half of these candidates obtained a technological or vocational baccalauréat [Consult the following page]

Translation

 Etat de l'enseignement supérieur et de la rechercheL'état de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche en France n°10 - Avril 2017
07 - le baccalauréat et les bacheliers - Fanny Thomas
À la session 2016, 633 500 des 715 200 candidats ont obtenu le baccalauréat (88,6 %) ce qui porte à 78,6 % la part des bacheliers dans une génération. Pour plus de la moitié d'entre eux, il s'agit d'un baccalauréat général [Consult the following page in french]


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