In 2022, the previously American Heart Association (AHA) life's simple 7 score (range 0 to 14) measuring cardiovascular health (CVH) has been updated by adding sleep health and providing more granularity to the score (range 0 to 100) to measure the so-called Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score. However, the distribution of the LE8 score in nationwide representative US and non-US populations is scarce. The present study quantifies LE8 score distribution and identifies determinants of high CVH (80-100 points) in French adults. CONSTANCES is a nationwide French cohort study that randomly recruited participants aged 18 to 69 years in 24 participating health examination centers in 21 French "" in different regions of France between 2012 and 2019. Design weights for age class, sex, socio economic status, and examination center/region were applied to represent the source population. LE8 score was quantified using inclusion data on eight CVH metrics. The prevalence estimates were age-standardized directly using the 2022 EU 28 population. Mixed effects multivariable linear and logistic regression models identified key LE8 score determinants. The study included 191,335 participants free of prior cardiovascular disease, with an average age of 46.48 years (SD 13.41) and 54 % women, representing 45.17 million individuals aged 18-69 in France. The overall mean LE8 score was 66.11 (68.92 in women vs. 62.79 in men, = 6.875e), 13.21 %, 76.81 %, and 9.43 % achieved high (≥ 80 points), moderate (50-79 points), and poor (< 50 points) LE8 levels, respectively. Diet had the lowest mean score (41.50), while blood glycemia had the highest mean score (95.50). Mixed effects multivariable regression models identified younger age, womanhood, high educational attainment, self-employment, or managerial positions, not living with a partner, fewer depressive symptoms, lower alcohol consumption, rural residence, less socioeconomic deprivation, and absence of CVD family history as predictors of higher LE8 scores. Only 13.21 % of adults in France achieved a high LE8 score (≥ 80 points), and disparities related to individual and contextual socio-demographic factors and mental health were identified. The findings further underscore the importance of timely implementation of effective and personalized primordial prevention strategies.