Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside France 27 times
France: 606,410 km² (2024) · Israel: 22,070 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 18 times as long as Israel’s
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Israel: 273 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 2,574 m above Israel’s
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of France, versus 24% of Israel
France: 52.8% (2024) · Israel: 23.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 6.8 times as many people as Israel
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Israel: 10.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 3.7 times as densely populated as France
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Israel: 468 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 2.6 cm taller than in Israel
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Israel: 176 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 2.3 cm taller than in Israel
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Israel: 162.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 13 years older than in Israel
France: 41.8 years (2023) · Israel: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.3 more children on average than in France
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Israel: 2.87 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 13% in Israel
France: 22.5% (2025) · Israel: 12.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
France hosts 91 times as many refugees per resident as Israel
France: 11.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Israel: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Israel 5.9
France: 9.5 (2026) · Israel: 5.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, France 1
France: 1 (2026) · Israel: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 5.5 times the size of Israel’s
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Israel: $611 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 7% more per person than Israel
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Israel: Int$59,717 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in France (Gini 6.5 points higher)
France: 31.8 (2023) · Israel: 38.3 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Israel and France are practically level
France: 0.1% (2023) · Israel: 0.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 3.5% in Israel
France: 7.5% (2025) · Israel: 3.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 7.8% of its GDP on the military, France 2.0%
France: 2% (2025) · Israel: 7.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Israel and France are practically level
France: 22.8% (2024) · Israel: 23.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× France’s
France: 77% (2025) · Israel: 101% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 36% more on health per person than Israel
France: $5,327 (2024) · Israel: $3,928 (2023)
How long do people live?
Israel and France are practically level
France: 83 years (2024) · Israel: 83.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in France is 26% more likely to die before turning one than in Israel
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Israel has 16% more doctors per person than France
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
France has 80% more hospital beds per person than Israel
France: 5.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Israel: 3.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in France is 2 times that in Israel
France: 13.9 per 100k (2023) · Israel: 6.9 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Israel are obese, versus 13% in France
France: 12.5% (2024) · Israel: 23.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 21% in Israel
France: 33.6% (2024) · Israel: 21.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 0.60 points higher than in France
France: 6.59 (2025) · Israel: 7.19 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in Israel
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Israel: 4.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 35% more meat per person than France
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Israel: 108.7 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 264 kcal more food per person per day than France
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Israel put in 403 more hours a year than in France
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Israel: 1,890 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 1.8 years longer than in France
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Israel: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 14 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019)
France: 1.35 (2019) · Israel: 0.1 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
France has 47 more World Heritage sites than Israel (56 against 9)
France: 56 (2026) · Israel: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
France has won 985 Olympic medals, Israel 20
France: 985 (2026 edition) · Israel: 20 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
France and Israel are practically level
France: 89% (2024) · Israel: 88% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in France is 17% faster than in Israel
France: 460 Mbps (2026) · Israel: 392 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
France and Israel are practically level
France: 100% (2024) · Israel: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 79% in France
France: 79% (2025) · Israel: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117
France: 117 (2023) · Israel: 177 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 16 times as long as Israel’s
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Israel: 1,720 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from France fly 29% more passengers per resident than those from Israel
France: 0.94 (2023) · Israel: 0.73 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of France, but only 6.8% of Israel
France: 32.9% (2024) · Israel: 6.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Israel emits 41% more CO₂ than someone in France
France: 4 t (2024) · Israel: 5.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of France’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel
France: 26.1% (2025) · Israel: 16.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in France
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 21% more likely to be murdered in Israel than in France
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in France are 12% deadlier than in Israel
France: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Israel: 6.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 7.0 °C warmer than France
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
France gets 5.6 times as much rain as Israel
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is France bigger than Israel?
France is larger. Israel fits inside France 27 times.
Which has more people, France or Israel?
France has 6.8 times as many people as Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or Israel?
Israel and France are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 83.2 in Israel.
Are people taller in France or Israel?
Men in France are 2.6 cm taller than in Israel (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
