Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside France 2.5 times
France: 606,410 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 2.6 times as long as France’s
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 3,465 m above the United Kingdom’s
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 53% of France
France: 52.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 1% more people than France
France: 68.7 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.3 times as densely populated as France
France: 128 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
France and the United Kingdom are practically level
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
France and the United Kingdom are practically level
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 2 years older than in the United Kingdom
France: 41.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in France have 0.1 more children on average than in the United Kingdom
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom
France: 22.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
France hosts 37% more refugees per resident than the United Kingdom
France: 11.5 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, France 9.5
France: 9.5 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
France and the United Kingdom are practically level
France: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 19% larger than France’s
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom and France are nearly identical here
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in France (Gini 0.6 points higher)
France: 31.8 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
The United Kingdom and France are practically level
France: 0.1% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom
France: 7.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and France are practically level
France: 2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, France’s 23%
France: 22.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× France’s
France: 77% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 10% more on health per person than France
France: $5,327 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in France live 1.6 years longer than in the United Kingdom
France: 83 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in France
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom and France are nearly identical here
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
France has 2.3 times as many hospital beds per person as the United Kingdom
France: 5.7 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in France is 45% higher than in the United Kingdom
France: 13.9 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 13% in France
France: 12.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
France: 33.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.11 points higher than in France
France: 6.59 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 7% more alcohol than in the United Kingdom
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 5% more meat per person than France
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 55 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Kingdom put in 36 more hours a year than in France
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 1.7 years longer than in France
France: 11.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 2.4 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019)
France: 1.35 (2019) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
France has 21 more World Heritage sites than the United Kingdom (56 against 35)
France: 56 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, France 985
France: 985 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 89% in France
France: 89% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in France is 52% faster than in the United Kingdom
France: 460 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
France and the United Kingdom are practically level
France: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 79% in France
France: 79% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117
France: 117 (2023) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 71% longer than the United Kingdom’s
France: 27,716 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 82% more passengers per resident than those from France
France: 0.94 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of France, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
France: 32.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 14% more CO₂ than someone in France
France: 4 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France
France: 26.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in France carries 1% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 20% more likely to be murdered in France than in the United Kingdom
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in France are 95% deadlier than in the United Kingdom
France: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
France is on average 4.2 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
France gets 8% more rain than the United Kingdom
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is France bigger than the United Kingdom?
France is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside France 2.5 times.
Which has more people, France or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 1% more people than France (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or the United Kingdom?
People in France live 1.6 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in France or the United Kingdom?
France and the United Kingdom are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
