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 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.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain;
French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname;
Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico;
Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago;
Mayotte: Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about halfway between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique;
Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E;
French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W;
Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W;
Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W;
Mayotte: 12 50 S, 45 10 E;
Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E
" }, "Map references": { "text": "metropolitan France: Europe;
French Guiana: South America;
Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean;
Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean;
Mayotte: Africa;
Reunion: World
" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "643,801 sq km ; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France)" }, "land": { "text": "640,427 sq km ; 549,970 sq km (metropolitan France)" }, "water": { "text": "3,374 sq km ; 1,530 sq km (metropolitan France)" }, "note": "metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral;
French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation;
Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average;
Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November);
Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)
" }, "Terrain": { "text": "metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east;
French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains;
Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin;
Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano;
Mayotte: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks;
Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
" }, "Elevation": { "mean elevation": { "text": "375 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Rhone River delta -2 m" }, "highest point": { "text": "Mont Blanc 4,810" }, "note": "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
" }, "Environment - current issues": { "text": "some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "none of the selected agreements" } }, "Geography - note": { "text": "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" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "68,084,217 (July 2021 est.)", "note": "note: the above figure is for metropolitan France and five overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is 62,814,233
" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)" }, "adjective": { "text": "French" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities", "note": "note: overseas departments: Black, White, Mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
" }, "Languages": { "text": "French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard)", "note": "note: overseas departments: French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect)
" }, "Religions": { "text": "Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic) 63-66%, Muslim 7-9%, Buddhist 0.5-0.75%, Jewish 0.5-0.75%, other 0.5-1.0%, none 23-28% (2015 est.)", "note": "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": { "text": "18.36% (male 6,368,767/female 6,085,318)" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "11.88% (male 4,122,981/female 3,938,938)" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "36.83% (male 12,619,649/female 12,366,120)" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "12.47% (male 4,085,564/female 4,376,272)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "20.46% (male 6,029,303/female 7,855,244) (2020 est.)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "62.4" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "28.7" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "33.7" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "3 (2020 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "41.7 years" }, "male": { "text": "40 years" }, "female": { "text": "43.4 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "0.33% (2021 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "11.77 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "9.58 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "1.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "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": { "text": "81% of total population (2020)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.72% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "11.017 million PARIS (capital), 1.719 million Lyon, 1.608 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, 1.063 million Lille, 1.024 million Toulouse, 969,000 Bordeaux (2020)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "1.02 male(s)/female" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "0.93 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.77 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "28.7 years (2018 est.)" }, "Maternal mortality rate": { "text": "8 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "3.19 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "3.57 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "2.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "82.39 years" }, "male": { "text": "79.31 years" }, "female": { "text": "85.61 years (2021 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "2.04 children born/woman (2021 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "78.4% (2010/11)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 100% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 100% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 100% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0% of population (2017 est.)" } }, "Current Health Expenditure": { "text": "11.3% (2017)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "3.26 physicians/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "6 beds/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 100% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 100% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 100% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0% of population (2017 est.)" } }, "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "0.3% (2019 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": { "text": "190,000 (2019 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - deaths": { "text": "<500 (2019 est.)" }, "Major infectious diseases": { "text": "note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout France; as of 8 December 2020, France has reported a total of 2,241,830 cases of COVID-19 or 34,345 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 1 million population with 837 cumulative deaths per 1 million population" }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "21.6% (2016)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "5.5% of GDP (2017)" }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "16 years" }, "male": { "text": "16 years" }, "female": { "text": "16 years (2018)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "20.8%" }, "male": { "text": "21.4%" }, "female": { "text": "20% (2018 est.)" } } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "French Republic" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "France" }, "local long form": { "text": "Republique francaise" }, "local short form": { "text": "France" }, "etymology": { "text": "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": { "text": "semi-presidential republic" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Paris" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "48 52 N, 2 20 E" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "daylight saving time": { "text": "+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October" }, "note": "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
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)
" }, "Dependent areas": { "text": "Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna", "note": "note: the US Government does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia has been considered a \"sui generis\" collectivity of France since 1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent country and a French overseas department
" }, "Independence": { "text": "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": { "text": "Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually 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 Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)" }, "Constitution": { "history": { "text": "many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958" }, "amendments": { "text": "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; note - in May 2018, the prime minister submitted a bill to the National Assembly to amend several provisions of the constitution" } }, "Legal system": { "text": "civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts" }, "International law organization participation": { "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction" }, "Citizenship": { "citizenship by birth": { "text": "no" }, "citizenship by descent only": { "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of France" }, "dual citizenship recognized": { "text": "yes" }, "residency requirement for naturalization": { "text": "5 years" } }, "Suffrage": { "text": "18 years of age; universal" }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { "text": "President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017) " }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Jean CASTEX (since 3 July 2020) " }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister " }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "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 23 April with a runoff on 7 May 2017 (next to be held in April 2022); prime minister appointed by the president" }, "election results": { "text": "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": { "text": "bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of:note: in April 2018, the French Government announced its intention to reform the country's judicial system
" }, "Political parties and leaders": { "text": "Presidential majority Parties [Edouard PHILIPPE]note: 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 symbol(s)": { "text": "Gallic rooster, fleur-de-lis, Marianne (female personification); national colors: blue, white, red" }, "National anthem": { "name": { "text": "\"La Marseillaise\" (The Song of Marseille)" }, "lyrics/music": { "text": "Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle" }, "note": "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
" } }, "Economy": { "Economic overview": { "text": "The French economy is diversified across all sectors. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. However, the government maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. France is the most visited country in the world with 89 million foreign tourists in 2017. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that mitigate economic inequality.
France's real GDP grew by 1.9% in 2017, up from 1.2% the year before. The unemployment rate (including overseas territories) increased from 7.8% in 2008 to 10.2% in 2015, before falling to 9.0% in 2017. Youth unemployment in metropolitan France decreased from 24.6% in the fourth quarter of 2014 to 20.6% in the fourth quarter of 2017.
France’s public finances have historically been strained by high spending and low growth. In 2017, the budget deficit improved to 2.7% of GDP, bringing it in compliance with the EU-mandated 3% deficit target. Meanwhile, France's public debt rose from 89.5% of GDP in 2012 to 97% in 2017.
Since entering office in May 2017, President Emmanuel MACRON launched a series of economic reforms to improve competitiveness and boost economic growth. President MACRON campaigned on reforming France’s labor code and in late 2017 implemented a range of reforms to increase flexibility in the labor market by making it easier for firms to hire and fire and simplifying negotiations between employers and employees. In addition to labor reforms, President MACRON’s 2018 budget cuts public spending, taxes, and social security contributions to spur private investment and increase purchasing power. The government plans to gradually reduce corporate tax rate for businesses from 33.3% to 25% by 2022.
" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { "text": "1.49% (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2018": { "text": "1.81% (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "2.42% (2017 est.)" } }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "1.1% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "1.8% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "1% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "AA (2014)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Aa2 (2015)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "AA (2013)" } }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$2,720,926,000,000 (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$2,681,052,000,000 (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017": { "text": "$2,633,469,000,000 (2017 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars
" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$2,715,574,000,000 (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$45,739 (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$45,165 (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2017": { "text": "$44,465 (2017 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars
" }, "Gross national saving": { "Gross national saving 2017": { "text": "22.9% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Gross national saving 2016": { "text": "21.9% of GDP (2016 est.)" }, "Gross national saving 2015": { "text": "22.3% of GDP (2015 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "1.7% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "19.5% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "78.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "54.1% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "23.6% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "22.5% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0.9% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "30.9% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-32% (2017 est.)" } }, "Ease of Doing Business Index scores": { "Overall Ease of Doing Business score 2020": { "text": "76.8 (2020)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "wheat, sugar beet, milk, barley, maize, potatoes, grapes, rapeseed, pork, apples" }, "Industries": { "text": "machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "2% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "27.742 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "2.8% (2016 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "20% (2016 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "77.2% (2016 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "8.12% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2018": { "text": "8.69% (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: includes overseas territories
" }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "14.2% (2015 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017": { "text": "31.6 (2017 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2015": { "text": "29.2 (2015)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "3.6%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "25.4% (2013)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "1.392 trillion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "1.459 trillion (2017 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "53.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-2.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "96.8% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "96.6% of GDP (2016 est.)" }, "note": "note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2019": { "text": "-$18.102 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2018": { "text": "-$16.02 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2019": { "text": "$969.077 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$952.316 billion (2018 est.)" }, "Exports 2017": { "text": "$910.613 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "Germany 14.8%, Spain 7.7%, Italy 7.5%, US 7.2%, Belgium 7%, UK 6.7% (2017)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2019": { "text": "$1,021,633,000,000 (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$995.937 billion (2018 est.)" }, "Imports 2017": { "text": "$965.949 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "Germany 18.5%, Belgium 10.2%, Netherlands 8.3%, Italy 7.9%, Spain 7.1%, UK 5.3%, US 5.2%, China 5.1% (2017)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$156.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015": { "text": "$138.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 31 March 2016": { "text": "$5.36 trillion (31 March 2016 est.)" }, "Debt - external 31 March 2015": { "text": "$5.25 trillion (31 March 2015 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "euros (EUR) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "0.82771 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "0.90338 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "0.87789 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "0.885 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "0.7634 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2020)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "529.1 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "450.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "61.41 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "19.9 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "130.8 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "17% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "50% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "15% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "19% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "16,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "1.147 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "65.97 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "1.311 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "1.705 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "440,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "886,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "16.99 million cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "41.88 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "6.031 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "48.59 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "8.41 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy": { "text": "341.2 million Mt (2017 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "39,234,941" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "58.03 (2019 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "74,791,818" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "110.62 (2019 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "one of the largest mobile phone markets in Europe, worth 13 billion annually; LTE has universal coverage with extensive 5G launching any day, one of the largest broadband subscriber bases in Europe; regional govt. and telecom companies have invested in higher bandwidth w/ fiber infrastructure improvements, an investment more than 20 billion euros (2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "58 per 100 persons for fixed-line and 111 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2019)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 33; landing points for Circe South, TAT-14, INGRID, FLAG Atlantic-1, Apollo, HUGO, IFC-1, ACE, SeaMeWe-3 & 4, Dunant, Africa-1, AAE-1, Atlas Offshore, Hawk, IMEWE, Med Cable, PEACE Cable, and TE North/TGN-Eurasia/SEACOM/Alexandros/Medex submarine cables providing links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and US; satellite earth stations - more than 3 (2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries (2019)" }, "overseas departments": { "text": "country codes: French Guiana - 594; landing points for Ella Link, Kanawa, Americas II to South America, Europe, Caribbean and US; Guadeloupe - 590; landing points for GCN, Southern Caribbean Fiber, and ECFS around the Caribbean and US; Martinique - 596; landing points for Americas II, ECFS, and Southern Caribbean Fiber to South America, US and around the Caribbean; Mayotte - 262; landing points for FLY-LION3 and LION2 to East Africa and East African Islands in Indian Ocean; Reunion - 262; landing points for SAFE, METISS, and LION submarine cables to Asia, South and East Africa, Southeast Asia and nearby Indian Ocean Island countries of Mauritius, and Madagascar (2019)" }, "note": "note: includes Monaco
" }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Brest, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes," }, "container port(s) (TEUs)": { "text": "Le Havre (2,870,000) (2017)" }, "LNG terminal(s) (import)": { "text": "Fos Cavaou, Fos Tonkin, Montoir de Bretagne" }, "river port(s)": { "text": "Paris, Rouen (Seine)" }, "cruise/ferry port(s)": { "text": "Calais, Cherbourg, Le Havre" }, "note": "Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "24,293 (Afghanistan), 23,821 (Sri Lanka), 18,473 (Sudan), 18,244 (Syria), 17,512 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 16,412 (Russia), 14,141 (Serbia and Kosovo), 11,863 (Turkey), 11,038 (Guinea), 11,021 (Cambodia), 8,829 (Iraq), 7,735 (Vietnam), 6,918 (China), 6,464 (Laos), 6,372 (Eritrea), 6,156 (Bangladesh), 5,675 (Mauritania), 5,652 (Cote d'Ivoire), 5,169 (Mali) (2019)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "1,521 (2019)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics;
French Guiana: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe;
Martinique: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
" } } }