Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of France: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MAB, ranked #3 of 195).
France — in 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…
| Capital | Paris |
|---|---|
| Population | 68,512,806 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $3.732 trillion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $54,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 1.2% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.0% |
| Unemployment | 7.4% |
| Public debt | 98.5% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $1.071 trillion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $1.074 trillion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 82.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.7 |
| Urbanization | 81.8% of total population (2023) |
| Government | semi-presidential republic |
| Independence | 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 established); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established) |
| Languages | French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard) |
MAB · 79/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum -3 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
2026 remained a survival year for Paris: no breakthroughs, with everything hinging on the 2027 budget draft due October 1 — Macron's last fiscal act.
Domestic authority kept fading while France's European and nuclear-deterrent weight held. A quarter of drift, honestly scored.
Iron ore, Bauxite, Zinc, Uranium, Antimony, Potash, Gypsum, Timber, Oil, Niobium, Tantalum.
Emmanuel Macron — President. President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)
France maintains 158 embassies and 72 consulates abroad, hosts 160 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 158 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 72 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 160 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Lowy GDI 2024 via Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions ; French MFA 'Présences françaises' map https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/le-ministere-et-son-reseau/organigramme-et-annuaire-du-ministere/ . Hosted: Consular Affairs Center in-country ranking, Mar 2026. Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 4853 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 1218 + 405 heliports (registration prefix F) |
| Major seaports | Bayonne, Bordeaux, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Dunkerque Port Est, Dunkerque Port Ouest, La Pallice, La Rochelle, Les Sables d'Olonne, Lorient, Montoir, Nantes, Le Havre, Rouen, Rade de Brest, Rade de Cherbourg, Rochefort, St. Nazaire, Toulon |
| Railways | 27860 km |
| Pipelines | 15,322 km gas, 2,939 km oil, 5,084 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Le Havre (3,018,550 TEU, 2021) |
Bastia-Poretta International airport (BIA) — Bastia; Beauvais-Tillé airport (BVA) — Beauvais; Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD) — Bordeaux; Brest Bretagne airport (BES) — Brest; Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) — Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise); Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport (CFE) — Clermont-Ferrand; EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL) — Bâle / Mulhouse; Figari Sud-Corse Airport (FSC) — Figari; Lille Airport (LIL) — Lesquin; Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS) — Colombier-Saugnieu, Rhône.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
| LNG import terminals | Dunkerque, Fos Cavaou, Fos Tonkin, Montoir de Bretagne |
|---|---|
| River ports | Bordeaux (Garronne); Nantes - Saint Nazaire (Loire); Paris, Rouen (Seine); Strasbourg (Rhine) |
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | semi-presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2022 — presidential; 2022-04-24; winner: Emmanuel Macron (La République En Marche!); runoff 58.5% vs Marine Le Pen Wikipedia |
| Next election | 2027 — presidential (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
MAB · 79 Ranked #3 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for France.
