The 2003 Ten-Year Health Survey, conducted among a representative sample of households in metropolitan France, assessed respiratory health using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to participants aged 11 and older. The analysis included 1,675 children aged 11–14 and 20,982 adults aged 15 or older. In total, 12.7% of children reported having ever had asthma, with 8.3% reporting wheezing in the past 12 months. Among adults, the prevalence of current asthma—defined as having experienced an asthma attack in the past 12 months or currently taking asthma medication—was estimated at 6.0%, and the prevalence of wheezing in the past 12 months was 12.0%. Asthma was associated with a lower quality of life and an increased frequency of functional limitations and restrictions in certain daily activities. Regarding professional life, asthmatics were found to have an increased risk of having taken a break from work for health reasons for at least one month or changed jobs, as well as higher rates of unemployment at the time of the survey and inactivity due to health reasons. Finally, current asthma sufferers sought medical care more frequently. The 2003 Ten-Year Health Survey is the first general population survey to have used standardized questionnaires on respiratory health. Although the results are not directly comparable to those observed in the early 1990s in French centers that participated in international asthma surveys, the differing trends observed for asthma prevalence and for the prevalence of asthma symptoms suggest an improvement in the treatment of asthma patients. Nevertheless, the impact of asthma on daily life is significant.