World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside France 5.4 times.
France: 606,410 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 11 times as long as the median country’s.
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 2,475 m above the median country’s.
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 9.3 times as many people as the median country.
France: 68.7 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
France is 30% more densely populated than the median country.
France: 128 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 5.1 cm taller than in the median country.
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 3.9 cm taller than in the median country.
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 11 years older than in the median country.
France: 41.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.3 more children on average than in France.
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
France: 22.5% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
France: 9.3 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
France and the median country are practically level.
France: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 74 times the size of the median country’s.
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 3 times as much per person as the median country.
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in France (Gini 2.6 points higher).
France: 31.8 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 5.1% in the median country.
France: 7.5% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
France and the median country are practically level.
France: 2.1% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
France’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× the median country’s.
France: 77% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 11 times as much on health per person as the median country.
France: $5,327 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in France live 8.4 years longer than in the median country.
France: 83 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in France.
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
France has 2 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 13% in France.
France: 12.5% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
France: 33.6% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in France rate their lives 0.75 points higher than in the median country.
France: 6.59 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 2.6 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 43% more meat per person than the median country.
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 552 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 487 more hours a year than in France.
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in France went to school 1.8 years longer than in the median country.
France: 11.8 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 3.9 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019).
France: 1.35 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in France are online, versus 82% in the median country.
France: 89% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
France and the median country are practically level.
France: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in France live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
France: 79% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
France has 117 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
France: 117 (2023) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 13 times as long as the median country’s.
France: 27,716 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from France fly 3.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
France: 0.94 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of France, but only 31% of the median country.
France: 32.5% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in France emits 33% more CO₂ than someone in the median country.
France: 4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France.
France: 26.1% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 87% more fine dust than in France.
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 68% more likely to be murdered in the median country than in France.
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 2.6 times as deadly as in France.
France: 4.7 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 8.8 °C warmer than France.
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
France gets 14% more rain than the median country.
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is France bigger than the median country?
France is larger. The median country fits inside France 5.4 times.
Which has more people, France or the median country?
France has 9.3 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or the median country?
People in France live 8.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in France or the median country?
Men in France are 5.1 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
