This article provides updated descriptive epidemiological data on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in France. It focuses on three areas: prevalence, mortality, and hospitalizations. The prevalence of COPD is difficult to estimate due to underdiagnosis and the challenges of conducting pulmonary function tests in epidemiological studies. It is estimated to affect 5 to 10% of adults over the age of 45. Data from death certificates, although limited by the quality of the documentation, revealed an increase in mortality rates among women and a stabilization among men between 1979 and 2000. In 2006, COPD was listed on nearly 16,500 death certificates. The Medical Information Systems Program (PMSI) estimated the annual number of hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations to be between 69,000 and 112,000, depending on the definition used. Hospitalization rates increased between 1998 and 2006, with this increase being more pronounced among women than among men. Mortality and hospitalization rates vary by region, with the highest rates observed in the northern and eastern regions as well as in Brittany. (R.A.)