Compare Countries
Select up to 4 countries for side-by-side comparison
Introduction
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Background | France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integr... | <p>The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was created when the Kingdoms of England and Scotland -- which previously had been distinct states under a single monarchy -- were joined under the 1707 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland was incorporated under the 1800 Acts of Union, whi... |
Geography
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Location | <strong>metropolitan France:</strong> 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<br><br><strong>French Guiana:</strong> Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic ... | Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France |
| Area | 643,801 sq km ; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France) | 243,610 sq km |
| Climate | <strong>metropolitan France:</strong> generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral<br> | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
| Terrain | <strong>metropolitan France:</strong> mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east<br><br><strong>French Guiana:</strong> low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains<br><br><strong>Guadeloupe:</str... | mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast |
| Natural resources | <em>metropolitan France:</em> coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish; <em>French Guiana</em><em>:</em> gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay | coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land |
| Elevation | Mont Blanc 4,810 | Ben Nevis 1,345 m |
People and Society
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68,512,806 (2025 est.) | 68,751,311 (2025 est.) |
| Languages | 1 | English |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.) | Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.) |
| Age structure | 17.3% (male 6,060,087/female 5,792,805) | 16.7% (male 5,872,937/female 5,592,665) |
| Median age | 42.7 years (2025 est.) | 40.9 years (2025 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.2% (2025 est.) | 0.4% (2025 est.) |
| Birth rate | 10.88 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 10.76 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Death rate | 9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 9.25 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.6 years (2024 est.) | 82.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Literacy | — | — |
Government
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Government type | semi-presidential republic | parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Paris | London |
| 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... | no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Act... |
| Constitution | many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958 | uncoded; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
| Legal system | civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts | common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998 |
Economy
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | — | — |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | — | — |
| GDP - real growth rate | — | — |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% | 3.27% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.54% | 4.75% |
| Industries | machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, tourism | machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods |
| Agriculture - products | — | — |
| Exports | $1.07 trillion | $1.14 trillion |
| Imports | $1.08 trillion | $1.17 trillion |
| Public debt | 98.5% of GDP (2023 est.) | 131 % of GDP |
Communications
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 77.5 million (2023 est.) | 123 per 100 |
| Internet users | 87% (2023 est.) | 96% (2023 est.) |
Military and Security
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 2 % of GDP | 2 % of GDP |
| Military and security forces | French Armed Forces (Forces Armées Françaises): Army (l'Armee de Terre; includes Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air and Space Force (l'Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace); includes Air Defense), National Guard (Garde Nationale), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale) (2025) | United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2025) |
Transportation
| Field |
France |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 1,218 (2025) | 1,057 (2025) |
| Railways | 27,860 km (2020) 16,660 km electrified | 16,390 km (2020) 6,167 km electrified |
| Roadways | — | — |