If you lived in France instead of Finland, you would:

Health

be 53.8% less likely to be obese

In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 13.8% more likely to die by suicide

Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 20.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.

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be 27.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Finland, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In France, however, that number is 15.6% as of 2021.

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make 12.8% less money

Finland has a GDP per capita of $56,149 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.

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Life

have 24.4% more children

In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 78.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Finland, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 16.6% less on education

Finland spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 10.2% more on healthcare

Finland spends 10.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 3.9 times more coastline

Finland has a total of 1,250 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.

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Safety

be 36.7% more likely to be murdered

Finland has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 11.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Finland, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 34.1% more home broadband

Finland has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. France has 48.9 as of 2024.

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live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water

Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.

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use 56.5% less electricity

Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 27.8% less CO2

Finland emits 5.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 42.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

France: At a glance

France is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 549,970 sq km. 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-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.
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