OBJECTIVE: An epidemiological study on migraine was conducted in France in 2000. This general population study - GRIM 2000 - was among others designed to evaluate the socio-economic impact of migraine. METHODS: In a sample of 10,585 subjects over the age of 15 years, representative of the French population, 1,486 people suffering from headache were interviewed. Part of the questionnaire concerned consumption of medical resources and loss of productivity. RESULTS: 880 of the 1,486 subjects complaining of headache were found to suffer from migraine (according to IHS criteria 1-1, 1-2, and 1-7). Migraine patients had consulted their general practitioner an average of 3 times during the previous 6 months. 70% of these patients systematically took medication to relieve their headache and they also reported that they always took the same treatment. The medications most frequently (90%) used were analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. 4% of migraine patients took triptans. 8% of migraineurs took a prophylactic treatment for their headaches. The complementary investigations most frequently performed were ophthalmic examinations (16%). Only 7 subjects had been hospitalised for their migraine attacks during the previous 6 months, with an average length of stay of 2.3 days. Migraine patients were absent from work twice as often as non-migraine headache patients, with an average of 6 days of absence during the previous 3 months. Finally, a strong correlation was observed between severity of the attack and consumption of medical resources (particularly medications and visits to the doctor).