Medical-administrative databases (BMA) are one of the tools used for the epidemiological surveillance of chronic respiratory diseases in France. Data on hospital morbidity are provided by the Program for the Medicalization of Information Systems (PMSI). The use of health insurance reimbursement data is more recent. The purpose of this article is to illustrate, using a few examples of how these data are utilized, their contribution to the surveillance of chronic respiratory diseases in France. Analysis of these data shows the growing burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in France. Hospitalization rates for COPD increased between 1998 and 2010, accompanied by a decrease in in-hospital mortality among patients hospitalized for COPD. Health insurance reimbursement data also show an increase between 2006 and 2010 in the prevalence of long-term oxygen therapy. PMSI data reveal marked geographic disparities in hospitalization rates or readmission rates for chronic respiratory diseases. Monitoring occupational risks for chronic respiratory diseases requires, in addition, access to individuals’ occupational data. This is the case with data from the Social Security System for the Self-Employed (RSI), which were used to conduct a feasibility study aimed at identifying people with asthma based on medication use and thus comparing asthma risks by industry sector. The various examples presented in this article demonstrate the richness of the BMA and their contribution to the surveillance of chronic respiratory diseases. (R.A.)