Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 26.9% less likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 39.2% more spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
live 0.9 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
have 23.6% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. France has 32.8 as of 2022.
be 90.1% more likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
be 22.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In France, however, that number is 15.6% as of 2021.
make 26.8% more money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.
Life
have 49.2% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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.
Expenditures
spend 15.9% more on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 25.2% more on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 94.2% more likely to be murdered
Spain has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 34.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.7% more home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. France has 48.9 as of 2024.
live with 50.6% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
use 24.1% more electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 11.3% less CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.