Country Sheet : France

Information file

Last Update on 19th July 2024

FRANCE

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In English - version of 19th July 2024

Geography

Area : 547,030 km² (Metropolitan France); 643,427 km² (with overseas regions)

Borders : 2,889 km (Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km)

Coastline : 3,427 km (Metropolitan France); 4,668 km (with overseas regions)

Capital : Paris

Official language : français

Flag

Population

Population : 68,172,977 (2023)

Crude natural change rate : 0.8‰ (2023 est.)

Population repartition: 17.3% under 15 years old (2023), 21,2% over 65 years old (2023)

Foreign residents: 2.2% EU nationals, 5.1% non-EU nationals (2019)

Crude net migration rate: 1.1‰ (2023 est.)

First time asylum applicants: 166,880 (2023)

Life expectancy: men 80.1 years, women 85.9 years (2023)

Religions: Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhists 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2022 est.) (overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan)

Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities (overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian)

Source : Eurostat, INSEE, CIA World Factbook

Economy

Currency: Euro

GDP: € 2,803,100 million (2023)

GDP per capita (PPS): € 33,290 (2023)

GDP growth : 0.7% (2023)

Inflation: 2.7% (May 2024)

Public debt: 110.6% of GDP (Q4 2023)

Unemployment: 7.3% (April 2024)

Public deficit: -1.7% of GDP (Q4 2023)

Budget balance: -5.5% of GDP (2023)

Source : Eurostat, INSEE

Political system

Republic, parliamentary democracy

Head of State: Emmanuel Macron (La République en Marche) was re-elected on 24th April 2022 for a second 5-year term.

Head of Government: Gabriel Attal (presidential majority) since 9th January 2024. On 16th July 2024, the Prime Minister and his government resigned, but remain in office until a new government is appointed.

Bicameral legislative power: The Assemblée nationale (House of Representatives) numbers 577 representatives, elected for a term of five years by direct universal suffrage The Sénat (Senate) comprises 348 senators who are elected for six years by indirect universal suffrage by a college made up of approximately 150,000 people. Every three years, half of the seats are up for re-election.

Political representation

Composition of the Assemblée nationale (after the general elections in July 2024):

126 seats National Rally (RN)
99 seats Ensemble pour la République
72 seats La France Insoumise (LFI)
66 seats Socialists and affiliated
47 seats The Republican Right
38 seats Écologiste et Social
36 seats The Democratic, MoDem and Independents group
31 seats Horizons and affiliated
21 seats Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT)
17 seats Gauche Démocrate et Républicaine
16 seats À Droite
8 non affiliated

Composition of the Senate (in September 2023):

133 seats Les Républicains (LR)
64 seats Socialist Party (PS)
56 seats Centrist Union group (UC)
22 seats Rally of Democrats, Progressive and Independent group (RDPI)
18 seats Communist, Republican, Citizen and Ecologist group (CRCE)
16 seats European Democratic and Social Rally group (RDSE)
18 seats The Independents – Republic and Territories group (LIRT)
17 seats Ecologist group (EST)
4 seats Administrative meeting of senators not appearing on the list of any group