France - Statistics & Facts
In 2024, France was the seventh-largest economy in the world. The country has high living standards with a relatively strong welfare system and ideals based on free health care and free education. Economically speaking, France is doing relatively well, with a GDP that is expected to slightly rise over the next couple of years, a steady unemployment rate, a subsequently stable employment rate, as well as a recovering inflation rate. Most of France’s workforce is employed in the service sector, which is not surprising, as France is a popular tourist destination and generates most of its GDP in this sector. However, interestingly, very little of the French workforce works in agriculture despite large areas used as agricultural land. It is also one of the biggest exporters of agricultural products worldwide; its wine and meat are among the most popular products exported to countries like Germany, Italy, and the United States.
However, the country is not without its problems, France faces demographic challenges such as an over-aging society, economic challenges such as an important public debt, and a tense political context, with no clear majority in the Assembly.
However, despite this relative dynamism, France like many other European countries also faces demographic challenges, such as an aging population. Between 2006 and 2024 alone, the number of people over 65 went from 10 million to over 14 million. In addition, with the number of births decreasing year after year since 2010, the French government fears that the number of active people will be insufficient in the coming years to meet the needs of the growing amount of elderly. Despite these concerns, immigration as a solution seems to be out of the question, especially since Bruno Retailleau’s nomination as France’s new Minister of Interior in September 2024. Indeed, he affirmed his intention to pass a new immigration bill in 2025. This new text is expected to contain different points such as toughening the rules on family reunification, re-establishing the offense of illegal residence, and reviewing birthright citizenship.
The situation intensified after the COVID pandemic due to a series of price increases mostly on housing, energy, transport, and food, a direct consequence of the Russia-Ukraine war which started in February 2022. The cost of living suffered a noticeable rise, and the French perception of the poverty line also increased. It is unclear how long this crisis will last, with the annual inflation rate expected to remain high at 5.66 percent, before possibly falling to 2.42 percent in 2024.
With a new government and new Prime Minister that seem to not have won the trust of the French yet, 2025’s social and political context is expected to be tense, with possible strikes and mobilizations ahead. Some examples include protestations coming from the agriculture sector, in opposition to the signature of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, or tensions emerging from the possible new immigration bill mentioned earlier.
However, the country is not without its problems, France faces demographic challenges such as an over-aging society, economic challenges such as an important public debt, and a tense political context, with no clear majority in the Assembly.
Demographics
In 2024, the total population of France exceeded 68 million, a figure that has been steadily increasing for decades, thanks to France’s high fertility rate, compared to its European neighbors. Historically, the country was built and unified around a central power located in Paris. Because of its privileged economic position, the capital city attracted a rural population in search of work throughout the 20th century. The rural exodus is now over, and the rate of urbanization has been set at around 81.5 percent by 2022. The Ile-de-France region is the most populated with more than 12 million inhabitants in 2024, but also the most densely populated with more than 1,000 inhabitants per square kilometer.However, despite this relative dynamism, France like many other European countries also faces demographic challenges, such as an aging population. Between 2006 and 2024 alone, the number of people over 65 went from 10 million to over 14 million. In addition, with the number of births decreasing year after year since 2010, the French government fears that the number of active people will be insufficient in the coming years to meet the needs of the growing amount of elderly. Despite these concerns, immigration as a solution seems to be out of the question, especially since Bruno Retailleau’s nomination as France’s new Minister of Interior in September 2024. Indeed, he affirmed his intention to pass a new immigration bill in 2025. This new text is expected to contain different points such as toughening the rules on family reunification, re-establishing the offense of illegal residence, and reviewing birthright citizenship.
Economy
In 2023, the gross domestic product of the French economy was 3.03 trillion U.S dollars. Although GDP took a significant hit after the COVID-19 pandemic, the French unemployment rate was not affected by the crisis and continued to decline, following a trend visible since 2015. On the other hand, the inflation rate increased rapidly towards the end of 2020 and reached a peak of 6.3 percent in February 2023. As of August 2023, the French population was still facing significant inflation, with some sectors being more affected than others. For instance, food prices suffered the highest rise with around 13.7 percent of the inflation rate.The situation intensified after the COVID pandemic due to a series of price increases mostly on housing, energy, transport, and food, a direct consequence of the Russia-Ukraine war which started in February 2022. The cost of living suffered a noticeable rise, and the French perception of the poverty line also increased. It is unclear how long this crisis will last, with the annual inflation rate expected to remain high at 5.66 percent, before possibly falling to 2.42 percent in 2024.
Politics
In June 2024, after the European Parliament election and the National Rally Party's historic victory in France, President Emmanuel Macron, aware of his party's defeat announced he had decided to dissolve the National Assembly, and therefore called for a new legislative election. For this election, and hoping to defeat Macron and the far right, leftist parties announced their intention to create a coalition under the “New Popular Front”. After the results of the first round were published, the National Rally arrived first as expected. However, in the week between both rounds, the New Popular Front and Emmanuel Macron’s party Ensemble worked together in an attempt to defeat the National Rally, with many candidates stepping down from three-way races to encourage their supporters to vote tactically. This tactic proved incredibly effective, and the election’s results were seen as a major upset. The New Popular Front emerged as the most popular alliance in the election winning 182 seats, yet without being able to secure an absolute majority, which would have helped strengthen their legitimacy. Still, as tradition wants it, President Macron was expected to choose a Prime Minister from the first force of the Assembly, in that case, the New Popular Front. However, after more than two months of discussion, Emmanuel Macron chose a head of government from the historical center-right party, a decision called out by the leftist alliance as a "denial of democracy".With a new government and new Prime Minister that seem to not have won the trust of the French yet, 2025’s social and political context is expected to be tense, with possible strikes and mobilizations ahead. Some examples include protestations coming from the agriculture sector, in opposition to the signature of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, or tensions emerging from the possible new immigration bill mentioned earlier.
