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France

French Republic · Western Europe

Position of France on a world map

At a glance

CapitalParis
Most common first languageFrenchmother tongue
Official languageFrench
Currencyeuro
Drives on theright
Highest pointMont Blanc4,805 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods78% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports37.8%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.fr

Facts about France

France has more time zones than any other country, because of territories far from its mainland.

Source: Guinness World Records — 12, occasionally 13 · checked 2026-08-08

France received the most international tourist arrivals in 2024.

Source: unwto.org · checked 2026-08-08

France by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.68.7m (2025)23rd
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$3.37tn (2025)7th
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.539k km² (2023)48th
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$64.7bn (2024)9th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$1.12tn (2025)5th
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.77.5m (2023)26th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.175k km² (2023)37th
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.283k km² (2023)41st
of 206
COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.274 Mt (2024)24th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.54.2m (2025)17th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.83.0 years (2024)24th
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$48,986 (2025)33rd
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.88.7% (2024)66th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.0.9% (2025)148th
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.7.5% (2025)56th
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.78.8% (2025)60th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.61 (2024)133rd
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.2.05% of GDP (2024)57th
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.67.2% of GDP (2025)115th
of 183
COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.3.99 t (2024)70th
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.920 (2023)26th
of 193

Land borders

🇦🇩 Andorra🇧🇪 Belgium🇩🇪 Germany🇮🇹 Italy🇱🇺 Luxembourg🇲🇨 Monaco🇪🇸 Spain🇨🇭 Switzerland

Across the water

Close by sea, with no shared land border.

🇳🇱 Netherlands

France shares these with other countries

Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has french as an official language 28Uses the euro 20Is a member of nato 30Is a member of the schengen area 28Is a member of the european union 26Is a member of the g20 19Is a member of the g7 7Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Is in western europe 8

France in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is France.

Which country received the most international tourist arrivals in 2024?

France has been the world's most-visited country for decades and became the first to top 100 million international visitors in 2023 — a milestone it held onto (and grew slightly, to about 102 million) through the Paris Olympics year of 2024, according to UN Tourism. source

Counting its overseas territories, which country spans the most time zones?

France's 12 time zones come entirely from overseas territories from French Polynesia to Réunion — mainland France sits in just one. Russia holds a different record: 11 time zones in total, though only 10 of them form one continuous landmass — the 11th, Kaliningrad, is a detached exclave on the Baltic Sea. source

Among OECD countries, which spends the largest share of GDP on public social protection?

France channels nearly 32% of GDP into pensions, healthcare and welfare, funded mostly through payroll taxes on employers — a structure critics link to the country's persistently high youth unemployment rate. source

Keep going

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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