The Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (Insee) plays a central role in producing, analyzing and disseminating statistical information about France's economy, society and territories. Insee was founded in 1946 and celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Although its remit is broad, only a small part of its work is familiar to the general public. Its best-known activity is the population census (see the article "Surveys at Insee"), but Insee is also responsible for civil registration, the national accounts and the calculation of gross domestic product, the price index, studies of business activity, the Siren register, population projections, and benchmark data on household budgets, housing conditions, how people use their personal and domestic time, extreme poverty, inadequate housing and homelessness, high-net-worth households, and more. This information is of interest to public authorities, government departments, local and regional authorities, social partners, businesses, the media, researchers, teachers, students and private individuals.
Insee operates both in metropolitan France and in the overseas territories. Its local offices conduct data collection for national surveys as well as regional studies for local authorities. More broadly, official statistics—and therefore Insee staff—are represented in the statistical departments of sixteen ministries, including Agriculture, Culture, Defence, Education, Energy, Housing and Transport. They help implement public policies and assess their consequences for the public and businesses. Insee staff may also work in agencies or research organizations such as Santé publique France, Ined and Inserm. Their careers are therefore very rich and varied.
Recruitment through competitive examinations
Insee statisticians are trained at three schools: ENSAE (École nationale de la statistique et de l’administration économique, on the Saclay plateau near Paris), ENSAI (École nationale de la statistique et de l’analyse de l’information, in Bruz near Rennes) and Cefil (Centre de formation de l’Insee, in Libourne). ENSAE was founded around the same time as Insee, while ENSAI and Cefil celebrate their 30th anniversaries in 2026. ENSAE and ENSAI mainly admit students on engineering programmes outside the civil service—around 130 a year at ENSAI and 230 at ENSAE—who are not expected to work at Insee. They are admitted either through competitive examinations after two years in CPGE (classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles), with specializations in mathematics, social sciences or management, or on the basis of qualifications at bachelor's degree level.
Students training as civil servants and destined for Insee are recruited exclusively through competitive examinations. It is worth noting that many qualified mathematics teachers, whether certified or holders of the agrégation, sit these examinations each year to change careers. At ENSAE, the roughly 20 Insee administrators—now known as statistical, economic and data engineers, or Insed—are recruited from among students at other grandes écoles (Polytechnique, École normale supérieure, etc.) or through a civil-service examination. At ENSAI, the 60 students admitted each year as Insee attachés are recruited through either a post-CPGE examination or an internal civil-service examination. Finally, nearly 50 category B staff, known as Insee controllers, are recruited each year through a post-baccalauréat-level competitive examination and trained at Cefil. Trainee controllers, attachés and Insed receive a salary while studying in return for a commitment to several years of public service.
