France
Quick notes before you compare the numbers.
Identity
Formal name: French Republic.
CIA 2026
Curated stat
France spans many time zones because its overseas territories sit across multiple oceans.
CIA
Matchup file
France vs Japan
174 shared metrics.
Turn the comparison into a round
Think you can spot the next winner?
France leads by 28 metrics. Use the same instinct in a quick real-data brawl.
Country briefing
What matters for both sides
Short real-world notes so the comparison reads like more than a stat strip.
Japan
Quick notes before you compare the numbers.
Identity
Name origin: the English word for Japan comes from the Chinese name for the country, Cipangu.
CIA 2026
Curated stat
Japan's long slowdown after its asset bubble is famous as the Lost Decade era.
Analysis
France leads in 101 of 174 shared metrics, while Japan leads in 73.
France's EV Chargers per 100,000 People is 34.1x that of Japan (29.75 per 100k people vs 0.85 per 100k people).
France's Tourist Arrivals is 27.4x that of Japan (117.11M vs 4.12M).
France's Nuclear Electricity Share is 10.8x that of Japan (64.8% vs 5.5%).
France's GDP Growth Rate is 10.4x that of Japan (1.2% vs 0.10%).
France's Capital Elevation is 7.0x that of Japan (48 m vs 6.0 m).
Key Comparisons
EV Chargers per 100,000 PeopleFrance leads
France
29.75 per 100k people
Japan
0.85 per 100k people
Tourist ArrivalsFrance leads
France
117.11M
Japan
4.12M
Nuclear Electricity ShareFrance leads
France
64.8%
Japan
5.5%
GDP Growth RateFrance leads
France
1.2%
Japan
0.10%
Capital ElevationFrance leads
France
48 m
Japan
6.0 m
Wind Electricity ShareFrance leads
France
8.2%
Japan
1.3%
All Metrics
EV Chargers per 100,000 People
FranceFrance
29.75 per 100k people
Japan
0.85 per 100k people
3412% higher
Tourist Arrivals
FranceFrance
117.11M
Japan
4.12M
2745% higher
Nuclear Electricity Share
FranceFrance
64.8%
Japan
5.5%
1078% higher
GDP Growth Rate
FranceFrance
1.2%
Japan
0.10%
1041% higher
Capital Elevation
FranceFrance
48 m
Japan
6.0 m
700% higher
Wind Electricity Share
FranceFrance
8.2%
Japan
1.3%
553% higher
Homicide Rate
FranceFrance
1.3 per 100k
Japan
0.23 per 100k
483% higher
Youth Unemployment Rate
FranceFrance
18.89% of youth labor force
Japan
3.9% of youth labor force
385% higher
Overcrowded Housing
FranceFrance
7.4% of households
Japan
1.6% of households
374% higher
Social Time
FranceFrance
6.2 hrs/week
Japan
1.4 hrs/week
333% higher
Airports
FranceFrance
1.2K
Japan
279
327% higher
Agricultural Land (%)
FranceFrance
52.5%
Japan
12.64%
315% higher
Homicide Rate
FranceFrance
0.80 per 100k
Japan
0.20 per 100k
300% higher
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
FranceFrance
1.6% of GDP
Japan
0.43% of GDP
286% higher
Low Adult Literacy
FranceFrance
3.4% of adults
Japan
0.94% of adults
266% higher
Nobel Laureates Born per Million People
FranceFrance
0.86 per 1M people
Japan
0.24 per 1M people
253% higher
Milk Consumption per Person
FranceFrance
241.31 kg/person/yr
Japan
72.06 kg/person/yr
235% higher
Low Reading Skills
FranceFrance
16.8% of students
Japan
5.3% of students
218% higher
Low Math Skills
FranceFrance
16.8% of students
Japan
5.3% of students
218% higher
Low Science Skills
FranceFrance
16.8% of students
Japan
5.3% of students
218% higher
Tourism Revenue
FranceFrance
$35,958,000,000
Japan
$11,395,000,000
216% higher
Low Adult Numeracy
FranceFrance
22.63% of adults
Japan
7.8% of adults
189% higher
Unemployment Rate
FranceFrance
7.4%
Japan
2.6%
188% higher
Women in Senior Management
FranceFrance
38.71% of managers
Japan
14.49% of managers
167% higher
Minimum Paid Vacation Days
FranceFrance
25 days/yr
Japan
10 days/yr
150% higher
Gender Gap in Work
FranceFrance
26.99 min/day
Japan
11 min/day
145% higher
Women in Parliament (%)
FranceFrance
36.05%
Japan
15.7%
130% higher
Loneliness
FranceFrance
10.77% of adults 16+
Japan
4.8% of adults 16+
124% higher
Beer Consumption
FranceFrance
2.4 L/person/yr
Japan
1.1 L/person/yr
122% higher
Obesity Rate
FranceFrance
10.92%
Japan
4.9%
121% higher
Long-Term Unemployment
FranceFrance
1.7% of workforce
Japan
0.80% of workforce
114% higher
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
FranceFrance
55 sites
Japan
26 sites
112% higher
Youth NEET Rate
FranceFrance
12.52% of youth 15-24
Japan
6.0% of youth 15-24
109% higher
Spirits Consumption
FranceFrance
2.2 L/person/yr
Japan
1.1 L/person/yr
107% higher
Teen Birth Rate
FranceFrance
3.5 per 1k
Japan
1.7 per 1k
102% higher
Coal Electricity Share
JapanFrance
0.31%
Japan
32.05%
99% lower
Foreign Patents
JapanFrance
1.4K
Japan
66.7K
98% lower
Tobacco Use Prevalence
FranceFrance
33.6% of adults
Japan
17.1% of adults
96% higher
Domestic Patents
JapanFrance
13.4K
Japan
222.5K
94% lower
Electricity Carbon Intensity
JapanFrance
41.44 gCO2/kWh
Japan
477.26 gCO2/kWh
91% lower
Merchant Fleet Size
JapanFrance
553
Japan
5.2K
89% lower
Infant Mortality
FranceFrance
3.4 per 1k births
Japan
1.8 per 1k births
89% higher
Coastline Length
JapanFrance
4.9K km
Japan
29.8K km
84% lower
Renewable Energy (%)
FranceFrance
16.2%
Japan
8.8%
84% higher
Extreme Temperature Exposure
JapanFrance
1.1% of population
Japan
5.7% of population
81% lower
Smoking Rate
FranceFrance
34.6%
Japan
19.2%
80% higher
Child Mortality
FranceFrance
4.3 per 1k births
Japan
2.4 per 1k births
79% higher
Self-Rated Health
FranceFrance
66.2% reporting good health
Japan
37.1% reporting good health
78% higher
Road Deaths
FranceFrance
4.6 per 100k
Japan
2.6 per 100k
77% higher
Road Traffic Death Rate
FranceFrance
4.7 per 100k
Japan
2.7 per 100k
74% higher
Chronic Pain
FranceFrance
34.5% of adults 15+
Japan
20% of adults 15+
73% higher
Food Waste per Person
FranceFrance
139 kg/person/yr
Japan
80.57 kg/person/yr
73% higher
Total CO2 Emissions
JapanFrance
274.45 Mt CO2e
Japan
972.27 Mt CO2e
72% lower
Shipping Traffic
JapanFrance
6.47M
Japan
22.52M
71% lower
Gender Pay Gap (%)
JapanFrance
6.2% of male wages
Japan
20.65% of male wages
70% lower
Low Life Satisfaction
JapanFrance
6.9% of adults 16+
Japan
23.3% of adults 16+
70% lower
Water Withdrawal
JapanFrance
24.43 B m³
Japan
79.7 B m³
69% lower
Meat Consumption per Person
FranceFrance
83.05 kg/person/yr
Japan
49.33 kg/person/yr
68% higher
Time Zones Count
JapanFrance
1.0 time zones
Japan
3.0 time zones
67% lower
Population Density
JapanFrance
126.86 /km²
Japan
341.54 /km²
63% lower
Alcohol Consumption
FranceFrance
10.32 L/adult/yr
Japan
6.4 L/adult/yr
62% higher
Education Spending (% GDP)
FranceFrance
5.3% of GDP
Japan
3.3% of GDP
60% higher
Birth Rate
FranceFrance
10.88 per 1k
Japan
6.8 per 1k
59% higher
Electric Generating Capacity
JapanFrance
151.46M kW
Japan
361.62M kW
58% lower
Government Debt (% GDP)
JapanFrance
98.5% of GDP
Japan
215.9% of GDP
54% lower
Forest Coverage (%)
JapanFrance
32.48%
Japan
68.4%
53% lower
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
JapanFrance
6.0 per 1k
Japan
12.7 per 1k
53% lower
Military Spending
FranceFrance
2.1% of GDP
Japan
1.4% of GDP
50% higher
Exports (% GDP)
FranceFrance
33.89% of GDP
Japan
22.77% of GDP
49% higher
CO2 Per Capita
JapanFrance
4.0 t/person/yr
Japan
7.8 t/person/yr
49% lower
Land Area
FranceFrance
539.0K km²
Japan
364.6K km²
48% higher
Poverty Rate
JapanFrance
8.3% of population
Japan
15.4% of population
46% lower
Happiness Inequality
JapanFrance
2.1 vs bottom 20%
Japan
3.9 vs bottom 20%
46% lower
Air Passengers
JapanFrance
64.64M
Japan
120.31M
46% lower
Imports (% GDP)
FranceFrance
34.22% of GDP
Japan
23.64% of GDP
45% higher
Electricity Generation
JapanFrance
557.73 TWh
Japan
1.0K TWh
45% lower
Population
JapanFrance
68.51M
Japan
123.20M
44% lower
Youth Population (%)
FranceFrance
16.51%
Japan
11.44%
44% higher
Solar Electricity Share
JapanFrance
5.6%
Japan
9.8%
43% lower
Credit Card Ownership
JapanFrance
39.76% of adults
Japan
69.66% of adults
43% lower
Housing Cost Burden
JapanFrance
11.25% of households
Japan
19.05% of households
41% lower
Low-Wage Workers
JapanFrance
6.2% of workers
Japan
10.47% of workers
41% lower
Voter Turnout
FranceFrance
73.69% of votes
Japan
53.84% of votes
37% higher
McDonald's Outlets per Million People
FranceFrance
23.88 per 1M people
Japan
17.38 per 1M people
37% higher
Scientific Publications
JapanFrance
65.9K
Japan
103.7K
36% lower
Home Internet Access
FranceFrance
88.11% of households
Japan
65.11% of households
35% higher
Fertility Rate
FranceFrance
1.9 children/woman
Japan
1.4 children/woman
35% higher
Water Stress (%)
JapanFrance
12.21%
Japan
18.53%
34% lower
Mobile Subscriptions (%)
JapanFrance
117 per 100 people
Japan
178.43 per 100 people
34% lower
R&D Spending (% GDP)
JapanFrance
2.2% of GDP
Japan
3.4% of GDP
34% lower
Insufficient Physical Activity
JapanFrance
29.74% of adults
Japan
44.75% of adults
34% lower
High-Tech Exports (%)
FranceFrance
23.14%
Japan
17.55%
32% higher
Forest Area
JapanFrance
175.0K km²
Japan
249.3K km²
30% lower
Renewable Energy (%)
FranceFrance
16.47%
Japan
12.7%
30% higher
Income Gap (Rich vs Poor)
JapanFrance
4.5 vs bottom 20%
Japan
6.4 vs bottom 20%
29% lower
Poor Health
JapanFrance
9.7% reporting poor health
Japan
13.5% reporting poor health
28% lower
Seafood Consumption per Person
JapanFrance
33.64 kg/person/yr
Japan
46.65 kg/person/yr
28% lower
Disposable Income (Per Capita)
FranceFrance
$43,435
Japan
$34,068
27% higher
Highest Elevation
FranceFrance
4.8K m
Japan
3.8K m
27% higher
Inflation Rate
JapanFrance
2.0%
Japan
2.7%
26% lower
Broadband Access (%)
FranceFrance
49 per 100 people
Japan
39 per 100 people
26% higher
Elderly Population (%)
JapanFrance
22.15%
Japan
29.78%
26% lower
GNI Per Capita
FranceFrance
$45,160
Japan
$36,000
25% higher
Nurses & Midwives
JapanFrance
9.4 per 1k
Japan
12.45 per 1k
25% lower
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
JapanFrance
9.6 µg/m³
Japan
12.84 µg/m³
25% lower
Health Spending Per Capita
FranceFrance
$4,865.18
Japan
$3,889.36
25% higher
Doctors (per 1,000)
FranceFrance
3.3 per 1k
Japan
2.6 per 1k
24% higher
Average Earnings
FranceFrance
$60,608.01
Japan
$49,445.91
23% higher
ATMs per 100,000 Adults
JapanFrance
84.58 per 100k
Japan
109.61 per 100k
23% lower
GDP (Nominal)
JapanFrance
$3,160,442,622,465.08
Japan
$4,027,597,523,550.58
22% lower
Life Satisfaction
FranceFrance
7.1 pts
Japan
5.9 pts
21% higher
Numeracy Gap
FranceFrance
1.8 vs bottom 10%
Japan
1.5 vs bottom 10%
21% higher
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
FranceFrance
$61,290.42
Japan
$51,685.04
19% higher
Death Rate
JapanFrance
9.9 per 1k
Japan
12.04 per 1k
18% lower
Job Strain
JapanFrance
25.79% of employees
Japan
31.16% of employees
17% lower
Literacy Gap
FranceFrance
1.6 vs bottom 10%
Japan
1.4 vs bottom 10%
16% higher
Armed Forces Personnel
FranceFrance
304.0K
Japan
261.0K
16% higher
Electricity Use (Per Capita)
JapanFrance
6.4K kWh/person
Japan
7.7K kWh/person
16% lower
Job Insecurity
FranceFrance
3.1% of earnings at risk
Japan
2.7% of earnings at risk
15% higher
Median Age
JapanFrance
41.8 years
Japan
49.0 years
15% lower
Urban Population (%)
JapanFrance
78.8%
Japan
92.19%
15% lower
Science Score Gap
FranceFrance
1.8 vs bottom 10%
Japan
1.6 vs bottom 10%
13% higher
Freedom of Expression Index
FranceFrance
0.96
Japan
0.85
13% higher
Math Skills
JapanFrance
473.94 pts
Japan
535.58 pts
12% lower
Adult Numeracy
JapanFrance
257.22 pts
Japan
292.28 pts
12% lower
Adult Literacy
JapanFrance
255.4 pts
Japan
290.72 pts
12% lower
Reading Score Gap
FranceFrance
1.8 vs bottom 10%
Japan
1.6 vs bottom 10%
12% higher
Political Corruption Index
FranceFrance
0.06
Japan
0.05
12% higher
Science Skills
JapanFrance
487.23 pts
Japan
546.63 pts
11% lower
Dependency Ratio
JapanFrance
63% of working-age pop.
Japan
70.12% of working-age pop.
10% lower
Women's Political Empowerment
FranceFrance
0.93
Japan
0.84
10% higher
Employment Rate (%)
JapanFrance
77.16% of adults 25-64
Japan
85.14% of adults 25-64
9% lower
University Enrollment Rate
FranceFrance
70.45%
Japan
64.89%
9% higher
Liberal Democracy Index
FranceFrance
0.80
Japan
0.73
9% higher
Irrigated Land
JapanFrance
14.2K km²
Japan
15.7K km²
9% lower
Reading Skills
JapanFrance
473.85 pts
Japan
515.85 pts
8% lower
Political Voice
JapanFrance
26.27% who feel heard by government
Japan
28.56% who feel heard by government
8% lower
Earnings Inequality
FranceFrance
2.9 vs bottom 10%
Japan
2.7 vs bottom 10%
8% higher
Researchers
JapanFrance
5.2K per 1M
Japan
5.6K per 1M
8% lower
Corruption Perceptions Index
JapanFrance
66 pts
Japan
71 pts
7% lower
Hypertension Prevalence
JapanFrance
29.6% of adults
Japan
32% of adults
7% lower
Life Evaluation Score
FranceFrance
6.6 pts
Japan
6.1 pts
7% higher
Leisure Time
FranceFrance
16.2 hrs/day
Japan
15.22 hrs/day
6% higher
Safety at Night
JapanFrance
73% feeling safe at night
Japan
77.5% feeling safe at night
6% lower
Wealth Concentration
FranceFrance
49.93% of wealth
Japan
47.3% of wealth
6% higher
Lack of Support
JapanFrance
12.69% of adults 15+
Japan
13.56% of adults 15+
6% lower
Electoral Democracy Index
FranceFrance
0.86
Japan
0.82
6% higher
Math Score Gap
FranceFrance
1.7 vs bottom 10%
Japan
1.6 vs bottom 10%
5% higher
Suicide Rate
JapanFrance
16.58 per 100k
Japan
17.43 per 100k
5% lower
Average Weekly Work Hours
JapanFrance
35.3 hrs/week
Japan
36.6 hrs/week
4% lower
Health Spending (% GDP)
FranceFrance
11.88% of GDP
Japan
11.42% of GDP
4% higher
Can Raise Emergency Money
JapanFrance
92.06% of adults
Japan
96.08% of adults
4% lower
Protected Land (%)
JapanFrance
28.6%
Japan
29.5%
3% lower
Energy Use (Per Capita)
FranceFrance
3.1K kg oil eq/person
Japan
3.0K kg oil eq/person
3% higher
Digital Payments Used
FranceFrance
98.45% of adults
Japan
95.79% of adults
3% higher
Railway Length
FranceFrance
27.9K km
Japan
27.3K km
2% higher
Inequality (Gini)
JapanFrance
31.8
Japan
32.3
2% lower
Internet Users (%)
FranceFrance
88.65%
Japan
87%
2% higher
Skilled Birth Attendance (%)
JapanFrance
98.2%
Japan
99.8%
2% lower
Housing Affordability
FranceFrance
79.68% of income
Japan
79.08% of income
1% higher
Deaths (Suicide/Alcohol/Drugs)
FranceFrance
20.02 per 100k
Japan
19.91 per 100k
1% higher
Social Support
FranceFrance
87.13% of adults 15+
Japan
85.9% of adults 15+
1% higher
Human Development Index
JapanFrance
0.92
Japan
0.93
1% lower
Safe Drinking Water (%)
FranceFrance
99.71%
Japan
98.73%
1% higher
Sanitation Access (%)
JapanFrance
98.64%
Japan
99.94%
1% lower
Life Expectancy
JapanFrance
82.9 years
Japan
84.0 years
1% lower
Vehicles per 1,000 People
JapanFrance
636.58 per 1k people
Japan
642.15 per 1k people
1% lower
Air Pollution Exposure
FranceFrance
99.7% of population
Japan
99.34% of population
equal
Electricity Access (%)
FranceFrance
100%
Japan
100%
equal
Lowest Elevation
FranceFrance
-2 m
Japan
-4 m
ranked higher
Land Border Length
FranceFrance
4.0K km
Japan
0 km
ranked higher
Official Languages Count
FranceFrance
1.0
Japan
1.0
equal
Current Account Balance (% of GDP)
JapanFrance
-0.4% of GDP
Japan
4.8% of GDP
ranked lower
Border Neighbors
FranceFrance
10
Japan
0
ranked higher
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