OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the burden of influenza B in terms of hospitalizations and deaths in France. METHODS: The analysis of the impact of influenza B used 3 French databases 1) hospitalization for respiratory diseases, 2) deaths resulting from cardiorespiratory disease, and 3) information on circulating strains. The analysis covered the period 2003 through to 2011. The study is based on an indirect approach of modeling where hospitalization, mortality and virology time series data will be extracted as monthly or weekly aggregated information. The numbers of hospitalizations and deaths attributable to influenza B were determined from positive virological analysis through a regression model (considering all influenza circulating strains classified by type and subtype) firstly over the total French population, and then by age category (0-4 years,5-12,15-64, 65 and above). A second method to estimate the excess of hospitalizations and deaths during influenza epidemic periods vs. non-epidemic periods was also used. RESULTS: Over the period 2003-2011, nearly 28,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths on average were associated with influenza each year. The percentages of hospitalizations and deaths attributable to influenza B were 33% (9,200) and 34% (4,000) respectively, amongst the overall population. These were observed predominantly in the elderly (>65 years): 66% of hospitalizations and 94% of deaths. The two methods used show similar results, with a difference globally of less than 5%. CONCLUSIONS: On average each year around 9,200 hospitalizations and 4,000 cardiorespiratory deaths are associated with epidemics of influenza B in France.