For many people living in France, a nearby boulangerie (bakery) is an essential part of daily life - but exactly how many does the country have, and are they really dying out?
So how many are there in the country?
Well the answer is a bit more complicated than you would think.
The figure most often quoted in reports is around 30,000 boulangeries. But according to the latest official figures from France's national statistics agency, INSEE, there are actually 50,122 bakeries and pastry shops across the country.
So which figure is correct? The answer is both - they're simply counting different things.
