From the bustling urban heartlands that house over 81% of the population to the steady demographic rhythm of an aging society and steady immigration, France presents a fascinating portrait of a nation balancing deep tradition with dynamic modern change.
Key Takeaways
- France's total population as of January 1, 2024, was 68,373,433 inhabitants, including metropolitan France and overseas territories, according to INSEE estimates.
- The population density of metropolitan France is 122 inhabitants per square kilometer as of 2023.
- France's median age in 2023 was 42.3 years, reflecting an aging population.
- France's GDP in 2023 was 3.03 trillion USD nominal.
- GDP per capita in France reached 47,359 USD in 2023.
- France's GDP growth rate was 0.9% in 2023.
- Total area of France (metropolitan) is 551,695 square kilometers.
- France's coastline length is 4,853 km including overseas territories.
- Highest point in France is Mont Blanc at 4,810 meters.
- France is a unitary semi-presidential republic since 1958 Fifth Republic.
- President Emmanuel Macron elected in 2022 for second term, age 46.
- Prime Minister Gabriel Attal appointed January 2024, youngest ever at 34.
- France's literacy rate is 99% for adults over 15 in 2023.
- Tertiary education enrollment: 62% of 25-34 year olds in 2022.
- PISA 2022 scores: Reading 474, Math 474, Science 487.
France's population is aging, growing slowly, and mostly urban, while its economy is strong but carries high public debt.
Demographics and Population
- France's total population as of January 1, 2024, was 68,373,433 inhabitants, including metropolitan France and overseas territories, according to INSEE estimates.
- The population density of metropolitan France is 122 inhabitants per square kilometer as of 2023.
- France's median age in 2023 was 42.3 years, reflecting an aging population.
- As of 2022, 20.6% of France's population was aged 65 or older.
- France's total fertility rate in 2022 was 1.79 children per woman.
- Immigrants accounted for 10.3% of France's population in 2021, totaling about 7 million people.
- The urban population of France in 2023 was 81.5% of the total population.
- Life expectancy at birth for males in France was 79.7 years in 2022.
- Life expectancy at birth for females in France was 85.5 years in 2022.
- France's net migration rate in 2023 was 0.5 migrants per 1,000 population.
- The population of Paris metropolitan area in 2023 exceeded 12.6 million inhabitants.
- France's youth population (0-14 years) was 17.5% in 2023.
- There were 2.1 million births in France between 2018-2022 average annually.
- France's ethnic composition includes 85% ethnic French, 5% North African, 3.5% Sub-Saharan African in 2023 estimates.
- Religious affiliation: 47% Christian, 40% no religion, 5% Muslim in France 2023.
- France's labor force participation rate for ages 15-64 was 72.5% in 2022.
- The number of households in France in 2022 was 30.5 million.
- Average household size in France decreased to 2.18 persons in 2022.
- France's population growth rate was 0.3% annually in 2023.
- Overseas territories contribute 2.8% to France's total population with 1.9 million residents in 2023.
- The Île-de-France region holds 18.9% of France's population in 2023, about 12.9 million.
- France's infant mortality rate was 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- 99.1% of France's population speaks French as first language in 2023.
- Regional languages spoken by 5-10% include Alsatian, Breton, Corsican in 2021 surveys.
- France's sex ratio at birth is 1.05 males per female in 2023.
- Working-age population (15-64) constitutes 62.2% of total in 2023.
- France had 670,000 marriages in 2022.
- Divorce rate in France was 1.8 per 1,000 population in 2022.
- France's dependency ratio was 58.4% in 2023.
- Population of Lyon metropolitan area: 1.4 million in 2023.
- Marseille metropolitan population: 1.9 million in 2023.
Demographics and Population Interpretation
With a fertility rate stubbornly refusing to reach replacement levels and one in five citizens already over 65, France is gracefully aging its way into a future where the biggest urban centers are booming while the national cradle remains somewhat empty.
Economy and Finance
- France's GDP in 2023 was 3.03 trillion USD nominal.
- GDP per capita in France reached 47,359 USD in 2023.
- France's GDP growth rate was 0.9% in 2023.
- Inflation rate (CPI) in France was 4.9% in 2023.
- Unemployment rate in France averaged 7.4% in 2023.
- Public debt of France was 110.6% of GDP in 2023.
- France's budget deficit was 5.5% of GDP in 2023.
- Exports of goods and services were 32.5% of GDP in 2022.
- Imports of goods and services were 33.8% of GDP in 2022.
- France's current account balance was -1.4% of GDP in 2023.
- Tourism contributed 7.4% to France's GDP in 2023, with 100 million visitors.
- France's stock market capitalization was 2.1 trillion USD in 2023.
- Corporate tax rate in France is 25% as of 2023.
- VAT standard rate in France is 20% in 2023.
- Average gross monthly wage in France was 3,563 EUR in 2022.
- Minimum wage (SMIC) gross hourly rate is 11.65 EUR in 2024.
- France's foreign direct investment inflow was 37 billion USD in 2022.
- Energy imports cost France 89 billion USD in 2022.
- Aerospace industry exports reached 60 billion EUR in 2023.
- France's luxury goods sector generated 60 billion EUR revenue in 2023.
- Agricultural output value was 75 billion EUR in 2022.
- Services sector employs 78% of workforce and contributes 79% to GDP in 2023.
- Industry contributes 19.5% to GDP, employing 20% of workforce in 2023.
- Agriculture contributes 1.7% to GDP, employing 2.5% in 2023.
- France's R&D expenditure was 2.22% of GDP in 2022.
- Number of startups in France exceeded 10,000 in 2023, with 25 unicorns.
- CAC 40 index average value was 7,200 points in 2023.
- Household saving rate in France was 15.1% in 2023.
- Bank lending rate averaged 1.5% in 2023.
- France's total tax revenue was 45.4% of GDP in 2022.
- Wine production reached 48 million hectoliters in 2023.
- Nuclear energy production was 379 TWh in 2023, 68% of electricity.
Economy and Finance Interpretation
For all its world-class wine, luxury goods, and nuclear-powered grandeur, France's economy in 2023 was a wealthy but sluggish patient, running a high fever of inflation while hobbled by public debt splints and kept alive by a surprisingly robust service sector heartbeat.
Geography and Environment
- Total area of France (metropolitan) is 551,695 square kilometers.
- France's coastline length is 4,853 km including overseas territories.
- Highest point in France is Mont Blanc at 4,810 meters.
- Lowest point is Rhone River delta at -2 meters.
- France borders 8 countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Andorra.
- Arable land constitutes 28.2% of France's land area in 2021.
- Forest cover in France is 31% of land area, about 170,000 sq km in 2023.
- France has 11.8 million hectares of forests managed sustainably.
- Annual precipitation average is 830 mm in metropolitan France.
- France's major rivers include Loire (1,012 km), Rhone (812 km), Seine (777 km).
- France's exclusive economic zone is 11.035 million sq km, 2nd in world.
- Renewable water resources per capita: 3,290 cubic meters/year in 2020.
- Protected areas cover 20% of France's territory in 2023.
- Number of national parks in France: 11 (7 metropolitan, 4 overseas).
- Biodiversity: France hosts 90,000 terrestrial species and 9,000 marine.
- CO2 emissions in France: 300 Mt in 2022, 0.3% world total.
- Renewable energy share in electricity: 26% in 2023.
- Air quality PM2.5 annual mean: 10.6 µg/m³ in 2022.
- France recycles 24% of municipal waste in 2022.
- Average temperature in Paris: 12.4°C annual mean.
- France has 320,000 km of rivers and waterways.
- Volcanic activity in overseas: Piton de la Fournaise erupted 20 times since 2000.
- Desertification risk low, but soil erosion affects 12% of farmland.
- France's wind energy capacity: 21 GW in 2023.
- Solar PV capacity: 17.5 GW in 2023.
- Number of lakes over 1 sq km: 156 in metropolitan France.
- Alps cover 25% of France's surface, Pyrenees 10%.
- Coral reefs in overseas territories: 15,000 sq km.
- Annual flood damage costs: 500 million EUR average.
- France's glacier area: 2,100 sq km in 2023, decreasing 4%/year.
- Biodiversity hotspots: 4 in France (Mediterranean, Atlantic, Alps, Corsica).
Geography and Environment Interpretation
France may appear as a neat, picturesque postcard from its 28% of cultivated land, but behind that civilized facade lies an immense and wild ecological powerhouse, stretching from the sinking Rhone delta to erupting volcanoes overseas, managing to be both Europe’s agricultural heart and a global steward of vast oceans, dense forests, and startling biodiversity—all while trying to keep its glaciers from melting away at an alarming rate.
Government and Politics
- France is a unitary semi-presidential republic since 1958 Fifth Republic.
- President Emmanuel Macron elected in 2022 for second term, age 46.
- Prime Minister Gabriel Attal appointed January 2024, youngest ever at 34.
- National Assembly has 577 deputies, elected 2022.
- Senate has 348 senators, indirectly elected.
- Voter turnout in 2022 presidential election: 71.99% first round.
- France has 18 regions, 101 departments, 35,000 communes in 2024.
- Military expenditure: 2.1% of GDP in 2023, 53 billion EUR.
- Active military personnel: 203,000 in 2023.
- France is permanent UN Security Council member with veto power.
- EU founding member, uses Euro, Schengen Area participant.
- Referendums held: 6 since 1958, latest 2005 EU Constitution rejected.
- Corruption Perceptions Index score: 71/100 in 2023, rank 20th.
- Press Freedom Index: 21st globally in 2023, score 78.66.
- Women in parliament: 38.6% in National Assembly 2024.
- Local elections turnout: 43% in 2021 municipals.
- France has 13 overseas collectivities and departments.
- Constitutional Council has 9 members, reviews laws.
- State budget 2024: 470 billion EUR expenditure.
- NATO member since 1949, integrated command since 2009.
- G7, G20, OECD founding member.
- Suffrage universal from age 18 since 1974.
- Political parties: Renaissance (centrist), National Rally (far-right), PS (socialist).
- 2024 legislative elections resulted in hung parliament, New Popular Front 182 seats.
- Judicial system: civil law, Court of Cassation highest.
- Human rights defended via ECHR, 1,200 cases vs France since 1959.
- Decentralization laws since 1982 transferred powers to regions.
- Overseas voting: proportional representation in National Assembly.
Government and Politics Interpretation
France presents itself as a stately, venerable republic with youthful leadership and a complex, often contradictory, political body that is simultaneously a global heavyweight and a domestic puzzle still being assembled by its occasionally indifferent citizens.
Society, Health, and Education
- France's literacy rate is 99% for adults over 15 in 2023.
- Tertiary education enrollment: 62% of 25-34 year olds in 2022.
- PISA 2022 scores: Reading 474, Math 474, Science 487.
- Healthcare expenditure: 12.1% of GDP in 2022.
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 3.4 in 2022.
- Hospital beds per 1,000: 5.7 in 2022.
- Obesity rate (BMI>30): 17% adults in 2023.
- Suicide rate: 12.1 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Number of universities: 72 public in metropolitan France.
- Grandes Écoles admit 50,000 students annually via competitive exams.
- Student-teacher ratio primary: 21.1 in 2022.
- Compulsory education: ages 3-16 since 2019.
- Cultural spending: 1.1% GDP public funding in 2023.
- Museums: over 1,200 public, Louvre visited by 8.9 million in 2023.
- Cinema admissions: 180 million in 2023.
- Book publishing: 78,000 titles in 2022.
- Sports participation: 60% adults weekly, 2.5 million licensed athletes.
- Gender pay gap: 15.4% in 2022.
- At-risk-of-poverty rate: 14.5% in 2022.
- Gini coefficient: 0.29 in 2022, low inequality.
- Mental health: 21% adults affected yearly.
- Cancer incidence: 433,000 new cases in 2023.
- Vaccination coverage measles: 91% first dose children.
- Social spending: 31.5% GDP in 2022.
- Retirement age: 64 gradually to 64 by 2030.
- Parental leave: 28 weeks paid for second child.
- UNESCO World Heritage sites: 52 in France.
- Nobel laureates from France: 73 total.
- Internet users: 93% population in 2023.
- Mobile subscriptions: 77 million in 2023.
Society, Health, and Education Interpretation
France appears to be a nation that has masterfully curated a high-brow civilization—with enviable education, universal healthcare, and a rich cultural life—yet still wrestles with the very human and sobering challenges of mental health, inequality, and keeping its citizens both physically and economically healthy.
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