Background: France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing then President Charles DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to withdraw French forces from NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities -- French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion -- became French regions and were made part of France proper.

Geographic coordinates: metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E;

Map reference:

Area
Total: 643,801 km² ; 551,500 km² (metropolitan France)
Land: 640,427 km² ; 549,970 km² (metropolitan France)
Water: 3,374 km² ; 1,530 km² (metropolitan France)
Note: the first numbers include the overseas regions of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion
Comparative: slightly more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly less than the size of Texas
Country comparison total:
Country comparison border countries: (8) Andorra 55 km; Belgium 556 km; Germany 418 km; Italy 476 km; Luxembourg 69 km; Monaco 6 km; Spain 646 km; Switzerland 525 km

Land boundaries
Total: 3,956 km
Border countries: (9) Andorra 55 km; Belgium 556 km; Germany 418 km; Italy 476 km; Luxembourg 69 km; Monaco 6 km; Spain 646 km; Switzerland 525 km; metropolitan France - total: 2,751 km

Coastline: 4,853 km
Note: metropolitan France: 3,427 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean Sea)
Continental shelf: 200m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

Terrain:

Elevation
Highest point: Mont Blanc 4,810
Lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
Mean elevation: 375 m
Note: to assess the possible effects of climate change on the ice and snow cap of Mont Blanc, its surface and peak have been extensively measured in recent years; these new peak measurements have exceeded the traditional height of 4,807 m and have varied between 4,808 m and 4,811 m; the actual rock summit is 4,792 m and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit

Natural resources: metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish; French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

Land use
Agricultural land: 52.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 33.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 1.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 17.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 29.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 18.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 14,236 km² (2020)

Major rivers
By length in km: Rhin (Rhine) (shared with Switzerland [s], Germany, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km; Loire - 1,012 km
By length in km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Loire (115,282 km²), Seine (78,919 km²), Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²), (Adriatic Sea) Po (76,997 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Rhone (100,543 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 5.31 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 17.78 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 3.18 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 211 billion m³ (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean; overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones); flooding;
Volcanism: Montagne Pelee (1,394 m) on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc, it last erupted in 1932; a catastrophic eruption in May 1902 destroyed the city of St. Pierre, killing an estimated 30,000 people; La Soufriere (1,467 m) on the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean last erupted from July 1976 to March 1977; these volcanoes are part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

Geography
Note: largest West European nation; most major French rivers -- the Meuse, Seine, Loire, Charente, Dordogne, and Garonne -- flow northward or westward into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Rhone flows southward into the Mediterranean Sea

Population
Distribution: much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second
Total: 68,374,591
Male: 33,557,094
Female: 34,817,497 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 0.2% (2024 est.)
Below poverty line: 15.6% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Nationality
Noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
Adjective: French

Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African (Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian), Indochinese, Basque minorities
Note: overseas departments: Black, White, Mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Indigenous

Languages: French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard)
Major-language samples: Gheos World Guide une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Note: overseas departments - French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect)

Religions: Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.)
Note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of church and state

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,060,087/female 5,792,805)
15-64 years: 60.7% (male 20,875,861/female 20,615,847)
65 years and over: 22% (2024 est.) (male 6,621,146/female 8,408,845)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 63.1
Youth dependency ratio: 28.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 34.8
Potential support ratio: 2.9 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 41 years
Female: 44.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.2% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 10.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

Urbanization
Urban population: 81.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 11.208 million PARIS (capital), 1.761 million Lyon, 1.628 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, 1.079 million Lille, 1.060 million Toulouse, 1.000 million Bordeaux (2023)

Environment
Current issues: some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 10.46 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Methane emissions: 55.99 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 28.9 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 79.8 years
Female: 85.5 years

Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: 0% of population

Hospital bed density: 5.9 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 11.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 2.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 6.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 33.4% (2020 est.)
Male: 34.9% (2020 est.)
Female: 31.9% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 16 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 17.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 18.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 16% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Country name
Conventional long form: French Republic
Conventional short form: France
Local long form: République française
Local short form: France
Etymology: name derives from the Latin 'Francia' meaning 'Land of the Franks'; the Franks were a group of Germanic tribes located along the middle and lower Rhine River in the 3rd century A.D. who merged with Gallic-Roman populations in succeeding centuries and to whom they passed on their name

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Capital
Name: Paris
Geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Note: applies to metropolitan France only; for its overseas regions the time difference is UTC-4 for Guadeloupe and Martinique, UTC-3 for French Guiana, UTC+3 for Mayotte, and UTC+4 for Reunion
Etymology: name derives from the Parisii, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area from the 3rd century B.C., but who were conquered by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.; the Celtic settlement became the Roman town of Lutetia Parisiorum (Lutetia of the Parisii); over subsequent centuries it became Parisium and then just Paris

Administrative divisions: 18 regions (regions, singular - region); Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte (Burgundy-Free County), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre-Val de Loire (Center-Loire Valley), Corse (Corsica), Grand Est (Grand East), Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Hauts-de-France (Upper France), Ile-de-France, Martinique, Mayotte, Normandie (Normandy), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (New Aquitaine), Occitanie (Occitania), Pays de la Loire (Lands of the Loire), Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion
Note: France is divided into 13 metropolitan regions (including the 'collectivity' of Corse or Corsica) and 5 overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 5 overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)

Independence: no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)

National holiday: Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)
Note: often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are la Fête nationale (National Holiday) and le Quatorze Juillet (14th of July)

Constitution
History: many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by Parliament; proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum; passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament’s National Assembly; amended many times, last in 2008

Legal system: civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of France
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)
Head of government: François BAYROU (since 13 December 2024)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 April 2022 with a runoff held on 24 April 2022 (next to be held in April 2,027); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: 2022: Emmanuel MACRON reelected in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (LREM) 27.8%, Marine LE PEN (RN) 23.2%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (LFI) 22%, Eric ZEMMOUR (Reconquête) 7.1%, Valerie PECRESSE (LR) 4.8%, Yannick JADOT (EELV) 4.6%, other 10.6%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 58.5%, LE PEN 41.5%; 2017: Emmanuel MACRON elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (EM) 24%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 21.3%, Francois FILLON (LR) 20%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (FI) 19.6%, Benoit HAMON (PS) 6.4%, other 8.7%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 66.1%, LE PEN 33.9%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of: Senate or Sénat (348 seats; members indirectly elected; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years), National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale (577 seats - 556 for metropolitan France, 10 for overseas departments, and 11 for citizens abroad; members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held by 30 September 2026), National Assembly - last held on 30 June and 7 July 2024 (next to be held on 30 June 2,029)
Elections results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by political caucus (party or group of parties) LR 139, SER 69, UC 51, RDPI 21, CRCE 17, LIRT 17, EST 16, RDSE 14; composition - men 222, women 126, percentage women 36.2%., National Assembly - percent of vote by party/coalition in the first round - RN 29.26%, NPF 28.06%, ENS 20.04%, LR 6.57%, UXD 3.96%, other 12.11%; seats by party/coalition in the first round - RN 37, NPF 32, ENS 2, LR 1, UXD 1, other 3; percent of vote in the second round - RN 32.05%, NPF 25.68, ENS 23.14% LR 5.41%, UXD 5.0%, other 8.72%, seats by party/coalition in the second round - NPF 146, ENS 148, RN 88, LR 38, UXD 16, other 65; composition - men 369, women 208, percentage women 36%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions - 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council members - 3 appointed by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: appellate courts or Cour d'Appel; regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance; first instance courts or Tribunal d'instance; administrative courts
Note: in April 2021, the French Government submitted a bill on judicial reform to Parliament

Political parties and leaders: Citizen and Republican Movement or MRC , Debout la France or DLF , Democratic Movement or MoDem , Ensemble or ENS (electoral coalition including RE, MoDem, Horizons, PRV, UDI), The Ecologists - the Greens or EELV, French Communist Party or PCF , Horizons , La France Insoumise or FI , Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories or LIOT , Movement of Progressives or MDP , National Rally or RN (formerly National Front or FN), New Democrats or LND (formerly Ecology Democracy Solidarity or EDS), New Popular Front or NFP (electoral coalition including FI, EELV, PS, PCF), Radical Party of the Left or PRV , Reconquete or REC , Renaissance or RE , Résistons! , Socialist Party or PS , The Republicans or LR , Union of Democrats and Independents or UDI, Union of Far Right or UXD (electoral coalition of LR, RN)

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us: chief of mission: Ambassador Laurent BILI (since 19 April 2023)
In the us chancery: 4,101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 944-6,000
In the us fax: [1] (202) 944-6,166
In the us email address and website: info@ambafrance-us.org; [link]
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Denise Campbell BAUER (since 5 February 2022)
From the us note: also accredited to Monaco
From the us embassy: 2 avenue Gabriel, 75,008 Paris
From the us mailing address: 9,200 Paris Place, Washington DC 20,521-9,200
From the us telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22, [33] (1) 42-66-97-83
From the us fax: [33] (1) 42-66-97-83
From the us email address and website: Citizeninfo@state.gov; [link]
From the us consulates general: Marseille, Strasbourg
From the us consulates: Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the 'Le drapeau tricolore' (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution when the 'ancient French color' of white was combined with the blue and red colors of the Parisian militia; the official flag for all French dependent areas
Note: for the first four years, 1790-94, the order of colors was reversed, red-white-blue, instead of the current blue-white-red; the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Netherlands

National symbols: Gallic rooster, fleur-de-lis, Marianne (female personification of the country); national colors: blue, white, red

National anthem
Name: 'La Marseillaise' (The Song of Marseille)
Lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
Note: adopted 1795, restored 1870; originally known as 'Chant de Guerre pour l'Armee du Rhin' (War Song for the Army of the Rhine), the National Guard of Marseille made the song famous by singing it while marching into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 53 (45 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed)
Note: includes one site in New Caledonia and one site in French Polynesia
Selected world heritage site locales:

Economy overview: high-income, advanced and diversified EU economy and euro user; strong tourism, aircraft manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and industrial sectors; high public debt; ongoing pension reform efforts; transitioning to a green economy via 'France 2,030' strategy

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $3.764 trillion (2023 est.); $3.738 trillion (2022 est.); $3.648 trillion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 0.7% (2023 est.); 2.45% (2022 est.); 6.44% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $55,200 (2023 est.); $55,000 (2022 est.); $53,800 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 53.7% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 23.3% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.8% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.4% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 32.7% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -34.9% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.9% (2023 est.)
Industry: 18.7% (2023 est.)
Services: 69.2% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, maize, potatoes, grapes, rapeseed, pork, sunflower seeds (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 0.74% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 31.825 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 7.32% (2023 est.); 7.31% (2022 est.); 7.87% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 17.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 18.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 16% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Population below poverty line: 15.6% (2021 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Budget
Revenues: $1.229 trillion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $1.362 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 24.62% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt: 98.66% of GDP (2022 est.)
Note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.88% (2023 est.); 5.22% (2022 est.); 1.64% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Current account balance: -$22.792 billion (2023 est.); -$56.672 billion (2022 est.); $9.868 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $1.052 trillion (2023 est.); $1.013 trillion (2022 est.); $925.551 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Germany 13%, Italy 9%, US 8%, Belgium 8%, Spain 8% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: aircraft, packaged medicine, cars, natural gas, vehicle parts/accessories (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $1.099 trillion (2023 est.); $1.103 trillion (2022 est.); $963.999 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Germany 15%, Belgium 9%, Spain 8%, Italy 8%, Netherlands 8% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: natural gas, cars, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, garments (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $240.792 billion (2023 est.); $242.416 billion (2022 est.); $244.28 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 148.914 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 425.994 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Exports: 37.329 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 53.255 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 36.223 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 12.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 62.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources solar: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources wind: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 9.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 2.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Production: 2.419 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Consumption: 12.985 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Exports: 120,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 10.181 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 160 million metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 80,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 1.554 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 61.719 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 20.132 million m³ (2022 est.)
Consumption: 37.001 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Exports: 15.25 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Imports: 56.281 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 7.787 billion m³ (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 311.904 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 27.266 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 207.798 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 76.84 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 121.928 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 37.74 million (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 58 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 76.807 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 119 (2022 est.)

Military expenditures: 2.1% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.9% of GDP (2023); 1.9% of GDP (2022); 1.9% of GDP (2021); 2% of GDP (2020)

Military and security forces: French Armed Forces (Forces Armées Françaises): Army (l'Armee de Terre; includes Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air and Space Force (l'Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace); includes Air Defense), National Guard (Reserves), National Gendarmerie (2024)
Note: under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior, the civilian National Police and the National Gendarmerie maintain internal security; the National Gendarmerie is a paramilitary police force that is a branch of the Armed Forces and therefore part of the Ministry of Defense but under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior; it also has additional duties to the Ministry of Justice; the Gendarmerie includes the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale or GIGN), an elite national-level tactical police unit set up in 1973 in response to the 1972 Munich massacre

Military service age and obligation: generally 17-30 years of age for both men and women with some variations by service, position, and enlisted versus officer; basic service contract is for 12 months; no conscription (abolished 2001) (2024)
Note 1: in 2023, women comprised more than 16% of the uniformed armed forces
Note 2: French citizens can also volunteer for the Voluntary Military Service (VMS), which allows unemployed youth aged 18-25 to learn a trade or gain work experience while receiving basic military training and sports activities; French citizens may also join the military operational reserve up to age 72
Note 3: men between the ages of 17.5 and 39.5 years of age, of any nationality, may join the French Foreign Legion; those volunteers selected for service sign five-year contracts

Terrorist groups: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa'ida
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 19 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 553
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 70,188,028 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4,443,790,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: F

Airports: 689 (2024)
Note: Includes 27 airports in French overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion)

Heliports: 290 (2024)

Pipelines: 15,322 km gas, 2,939 km oil, 5,084 km refined products (2013)

Roadways
Total: 1,090,059 km (2022)

Waterways: metropolitan France: 8,501 km (1,621 km navigable by craft up to 3,000 metric tons) (2010)

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 55,681 (Afghanistan), 39,091 (Syria), 33,834 (Sri Lanka), 33,148 (Russia), 31,935 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 24,223 (Sudan), 21,225 (Guinea), 18,008 (Serbia and Kosovo), 17,032 (Turkey), 13,974 (Iraq), 12,286 (Cote d'Ivoire), 11,489 (Eritrea), 11,012 (Cambodia), 10,543 (China), 10,236 (Albania), 10,210 (Somalia), 8,858 (Bangladesh), 8,124 (Mauritania), 8,101 (Mali), 7,991 (Vietnam), 6,913 (Bosnia and Herzegovina), 6,910 (Haiti), 6,808 (Angola), 6,498 (Laos), 6,417 (Armenia), 6,111 (Nigeria), 5,896 (Georgia) (mid-year 2022); 69,462 (Ukraine) (as of 31 January 2024)
Stateless persons: 3,633 (2022)

Illicit drugs: