France vs Italy
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
France and Italy are the eurozone's second and third largest economies with deep historical and cultural ties. France's economy has outperformed Italy's dramatically since 2000 — French GDP per capita is now roughly 20% higher. France has stronger institutions, higher productivity growth, and has been more successful at attracting foreign investment and building global champion companies (LVMH, TotalEnergies, L'Oréal). Italy struggles with bureaucratic inefficiency, an aging population, and a dual economy: the prosperous industrial north and the lagging agrarian south. Both countries are major tourist destinations — France leads globally with 90M+ visitors annually.
France has a GDP of $3.56T compared to Italy's $2.70T, making it 1.3x larger. France's population is 68.6M vs Italy's 59.0M. Across 12 key indicators, France leads in 10 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  France |  Italy |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $3.56T✓ | $2.70T |
| GDP per Capita | $51,708✓ | $45,883 |
| GDP Growth (%) | 0.9%✓ | 0.8% |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $67,671✓ | $64,809 |
| Population | 68.6M✓ | 59.0M |
| Life Expectancy | 82.9 years | 83.7 years✓ |
| Inflation (%) | 1.5%✓ | 2.0% |
| Unemployment (%) | 7.5% | 6.7%✓ |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 119.6%✓ | 138.3% |
| Fertility Rate | 1.7✓ | 1.2 |
| Gini Index | 31.8✓ | 34.3 |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 4✓ | 5.1 |
Summary
France has a GDP of $3.56T compared to Italy's $2.70T, making the former economy 1.3x larger. In terms of population, France has 68.6M people while Italy has 59.0M. Across the 12 indicators compared, France leads in 10 and Italy leads in 2.