Introduction - This study examines trends in hospitalization rates for stroke between 2002 and 2008. Methods - Data were extracted from national databases of short-stay hospitalization records. Events were identified based on the primary diagnosis, and only the first annual hospitalizations for each patient were included. Rates were standardized (1999 French population), and trends were analyzed using Poisson regression. Results - There was a slight decrease in the rates of people hospitalized for stroke between 2002 and 2008 (-2.6%). However, this overall trend masks differences by age: among those aged 65 and older, standardized rates decreased from 674.6 to 630.3 per 100,000 inhabitants (-6.6%), but they increased among those under 65 from 37.1 to 41.1 per 100,000 (+10.8%). Conclusion - Over the period under review, there was an increase in the rates of people hospitalized for stroke in the population under 65 and a decrease in rates for older adults. (R.A.)