Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of France, you would:
Health
live 0.9 years longer
In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
have 30.9% more doctors per person
France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
be 47.4% less likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 36.8% more likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
see 28.1% less spent on your healthcare
France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 37.7% more likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
be 29.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
make 21.1% less money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.5% less likely to die during infancy
In France, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 33.0% fewer children
In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.7% less on education
France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 20.1% less on healthcare
France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.5% less likely to be murdered
France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 25.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 19.8% less home broadband
France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.
live with 2.0 times more strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
use 19.4% less electricity
France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 12.7% more CO2
France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: France vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.