France at its true size
France covers 643,801 km², number 42 of 194 countries by area. Home to 68,720,337 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.87× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50mRemote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
| Area | 643,801 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 68,720,337 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 107 per km² |
| Capital | Paris |
| Local time in Paris | |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Euro (EUR), CFP Franc (XPF) Wikidata |
| Languages | French |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | EUNATOEuro areaSchengen AreaOECDG7G20 |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +33 |
| Codes | FR · FRA · 250 |
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Where France ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#23 of 19469 million people#4 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#83 of 194107 people per km²#20 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#49 of 19279% urban#18 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#123 of 1921.61 births per woman#6 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#147 of 192+0.25% a year#20 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#147 of 1929.7 births per 1,000 people#7 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#48 of 1929.4 deaths per 1,000 people#31 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#148 of 19216.2% under 15#10 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#12 of 19222.5% aged 65 and over#11 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#44 of 192+1.3 per 1,000 people#21 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#32 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#18 of 19283.0 years#11 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#159 of 1913.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#15 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#54 of 1783.28 doctors per 1,000 people#36 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#43 of 14571.5% gross enrolment#27 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#25 of 190an index of 0.920#17 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#23 of 185$48,630 a person#16 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#64 of 18489% online#32 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#28 of 184$63,975 a person#17 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#160 of 187+0.8% a year#32 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#144 of 176+0.9% a year#37 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#53 of 1787.5% of the labour force#11 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#126 of 1490.1% under $3.00 a day#27 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#104 of 149a Gini index of 31.8#16 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#154 of 1782.3% of jobs#29 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#85 of 17819.3% of jobs#26 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#20 of 17878.3% of jobs#9 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#100 of 1841.8% of GDP#22 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#89 of 16833.4% of GDP#35 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#59 of 1552.0% of GDP#20 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#91 of 191117 subscriptions per 100 people#35 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#61 of 1854.00 tonnes a person#27 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#96 of 19233% forest#26 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#118 of 19016.2% renewable#31 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#168 of 1918.2 µg/m³#34 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#40 of 19128.8% of the land protected#13 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#26 of 19031.3% of the land arable#12 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#66 of 17621.4% of its available fresh water#11 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#99 of 180867 mm a year#12 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of France’s area, lit up on the map →
- South Sudan1.0×France and South Sudan are almost exactly the same size.
- Somalia1.01×France and Somalia are almost exactly the same size.
- Afghanistan0.99×France and Afghanistan are almost exactly the same size.
- Central African Republic1.03×France is 3% larger than Central African Republic.
- Myanmar0.95×France is 5% smaller than Myanmar.
- Ukraine1.07×France is 7% larger than Ukraine.
How many times does France fit into…
- Russia: about 27 times
- Canada: about 16 times
- United States: about 15 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes France shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Rhine1,233 km
- Loire1,006 km
- Rhône812 km
- Seine777 km
- Garonne647 km
- Ariège163 km
Summits
- Mont Blanc4,806 m
- Piton des Neiges3,070 m
- Monte Cinto2,706 m
- Mont Orohena2,241 m
- Puy de Sancy1,885 m
Lakes
- Lake Geneva581 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside France. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about France
- How big is France?
- France covers 643,801 km², which makes it number 42 of 194 countries by area. About 68,720,337 people live there (2025), 107 per km².
- Is France bigger than South Sudan?
- France and South Sudan are almost exactly the same size. France: 643,801 km²; South Sudan: 644,329 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort France?
- At about 43° latitude, Mercator stretches France to roughly 1.87× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border France?
- France shares a land border with Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, Suriname, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco.