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 $3.60T compared to Italy's $2.74T, making it 1.3x larger. France's population is 68.7M vs Italy's 58.9M. 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) | $3.60T✓ | $2.74T |
| GDP per Capita | $52,083✓ | $46,505 |
| GDP Growth (%) | 0.9%✓ | 0.5% |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $68,567✓ | $65,761 |
| Population | 68.7M✓ | 58.9M |
| Life Expectancy | 83.0 years | 84.0 years✓ |
| Inflation (%) | 1.8%✓ | 2.6% |
| Unemployment (%) | 7.9% | 6.0%✓ |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 118.4%✓ | 138.4% |
| Fertility Rate | 1.6✓ | 1.2 |
| Gini Index | 31.8✓ | 34.3 |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 4✓ | 5.1 |
Summary
France has a GDP of $3.60T compared to Italy's $2.74T, making the former economy 1.3x larger. In terms of population, France has 68.7M people while Italy has 58.9M. Across the 12 indicators compared, France leads in 10 and Italy leads in 2.
Why sources report different numbers
The IMF, World Bank and United Nations each publish these series on their own release schedule. Where their figures differ, the reason is usually visible in the reference year rather than in the methodology.
| Source | France | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| IMF | $3.60T2026 | $2.74T2026 |
| World Bank | $3.37T2025 | $2.55T2025 |
| United Nations | $3.16T2024 | $2.38T2024 |
These are not the same reference year. IMF publishes 2026 and United Nations publishes 2024 — each is the latest that publisher has released, on its own schedule. A figure for a year still in progress is a projection rather than an outturn. France spans about 14% across 2 years; Italy spans about 15% across 2 years.
| Source | France | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| IMF | $52,0832026 | $46,5052026 |
| World Bank | $48,9862025 | $43,3092025 |
| United Nations | $45,9502024 | $40,1202024 |
These are not the same reference year. IMF publishes 2026 and United Nations publishes 2024 — each is the latest that publisher has released, on its own schedule. A figure for a year still in progress is a projection rather than an outturn. France spans about 13% across 2 years; Italy spans about 16% across 2 years.
Figures are reproduced as published by each source, converted to a common unit, with each publisher's own reference year shown. Differences are described, not adjudicated — no source is presented as more correct than another.