Editing Economy of France (section)

== Economic sectors ==

=== Industry ===
[[File:Peugeot 508 SW Peugeot Sport Engineered Cropped.jpg|thumb|A [[Peugeot 508|Peugeot 508 SW]]]]
In 2019, France was the world's 8th largest manufacturer in terms of [[value added]], according to the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true|title=Manufacturing, value added (current US$) {{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|language=en-us|access-date=11 November 2018|archive-date=7 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107135049/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true|url-status=live}}</ref>

The leading industrial sectors in France are telecommunications (including communication satellites), aerospace and defence, ship building, pharmaceuticals, construction and civil engineering, chemicals, textiles, and automobile production. The [[chemical industry]] is a key sector for France, helping to develop other manufacturing activities and contributing to economic growth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.invest-in-france.org/Medias/Publications/227/Chemical%20Industry.pdf|title=Chemical industry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820153526/http://www.invest-in-france.org/Medias/Publications/227/Chemical%20Industry.pdf|archive-date=20 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Research and development]] spending is also high in France at 2.26% of GDP, the fourth-highest in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article511|title=France in the United States: Economy|publisher=[[French Embassy, Washington, D.C.|Embassy of France in Washington]]|access-date=23 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009235442/http://ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article511|archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref>

Industry contributes to French exports: as of 2018, the [[Observatory of Economic Complexity]] estimates that France's largest exports "are led by planes, helicopters, and spacecraft ($43.8 billion), cars ($26 billion), packaged medicaments ($25.7 billion), vehicle parts ($16.5 billion), and [[gas turbine]]s ($14.4 billion)."<ref>[https://oec.world/en/profile/country/fra Country profile: France] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921120331/https://oec.world/en/profile/country/fra |date=21 September 2020 }}, [[Observatory of Economic Complexity]] (page retrieved on 28 September 2020)</ref>

In December 2023, industrial production in France experienced its most significant change since May of the same year, with a notable increase of 1.1%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-02 |title=French industry receives a boost after slow GDP growth |url=https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/02/02/french-industry-receives-a-boost-after-slow-gdp-growth |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref>

===Energy===
{{Further|Energy in France}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = 2021 electricity production of France<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser?country=FRANCE&fuel=Electricity%20and%20heat&indicator=ElecGenByFuel |title=Electricity generation by source, France 1990-2021 |access-date=23 February 2023 |archive-date=23 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223164504/https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser?country=FRANCE&fuel=Electricity%20and%20heat&indicator=ElecGenByFuel |url-status=live }}</ref>
|other = 
|label1 = [[Nuclear reactor technology|Nuclear]] power
|value1 = 68.4
|color1 = #75CBE5
|label2 = [[Renewable energy in France|Renewable energy]] 
|value2 = 22.5
|color2 = #92C976
|label3 = [[fossil fuel power plant|Fossil fuel]] power
|value3 = 8.6
|color3 = #EF9928
|label4 = Other 
|value4 = 0.5
|color4 = #DFE575
}}

France is the world-leading country in nuclear energy, home of global energy giants [[Areva]], [[Électricité de France|EDF]] and [[GDF Suez]]: [[nuclear power]] now accounts for about 78% of the country's electricity production, up from only 8% in 1973, 24% in 1980, and 75% in 1990. [[Radioactive waste|Nuclear waste]] is stored on site at reprocessing facilities. Due to its [[Nuclear power in France|heavy investment]] in nuclear power, France is the smallest emitter of [[Greenhouse gas|carbon dioxide]] among the seven most industrialised countries in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_co2_emissions.htm|title=CO<sub>2</sub> emissions per capita in 2006|publisher=United Nations|date=August 2009|work=Environmental Indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions|access-date=27 October 2010|archive-date=10 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310190132/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_co2_emissions.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to its overwhelming reliance on nuclear power, [[Renewable energy in France|renewable energies]] have seen relatively little growth compared to other Western countries.

In 2006, electricity generated in France amounted to 548.8 [[Watt-hour#Multiples|TWh]], of which:<ref>Source: [http://www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/statisti/pdf/elec-analyse-stat.pdf ''L’Electricité en France en 2006 : une analyse statistique''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326210736/http://www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/statisti/pdf/elec-analyse-stat.pdf |date=26 March 2009 }}</ref>
*428.7 TWh (78.1%) were produced by [[Nuclear reactor technology|nuclear]] power generation
*60.9 TWh (11.1%) were produced by hydroelectric power generation
*52.4 TWh (9.5%) were produced by fossil-fuel power generation
**21.6 TWh (3.9%) by coal power
**20.9 TWh (3.8%) by natural-gas power
**9.9 TWh (1.8%) by other fossil fuel generation (fuel oil and gases by-products of industry such as [[blast furnace gas]]es)
*6.9 TWh (1.3%) were produced by other types of power generation (essentially [[waste-to-energy]] and [[wind turbine]]s)
**The electricity produced by wind turbines increased from 0.596 TWh in 2004, to 0.963 TWh in 2005, and 2.15 TWh in 2006, but this still accounted only for 0.4% of the total production of electricity (as of 2006).

In November 2004, [[Électricité de France|EDF]] (which stands for Electricité de France), one of the world's largest utility company and France's largest electricity provider, was floated with huge success on the French stock market. However, the French state still retains 70% of the capital. Other electricity providers include [[Compagnie nationale du Rhône]] (CNR) and [[Endesa (Spain)|Endesa]] (through [[Société nationale d'électricité et de thermique|SNET]]).

=== Agriculture ===
{{See also|French wine}}
[[File:Agricultural_output_France.svg|thumb|Development of agricultural output of France in 2015 US$ since 1961]]
[[File:Villiers Le Bacle le 14 juillet 2008 - 21.jpg|thumb|A wheat field in [[Villiers-le-Bâcle]]. France is the EU's largest agricultural producer.]]France is the world's sixth largest agricultural producer and EU's leading agricultural power, accounting for about one-third of all agricultural land within the EU. In the early 1980s, France was the leading producer of the three principal grains of wheat, barley, and maize. Back in 1983, France produced around 24.8&nbsp;million tonnes, ahead of the United Kingdom and West Germany, the next two largest wheat producers.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ilbery|first=Brian|title=Western Europe|publisher=Oxford University Press, New York|year=1986|isbn=0-19-823278-0|location=New York, United States|pages=[https://archive.org/details/westerneuropesys0000ilbe/page/ Pg. 41-42]|url=https://archive.org/details/westerneuropesys0000ilbe/page/}}</ref>

Northern France is characterised by large wheat farms. Dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple production are concentrated in the western region. Beef production is located in central France, while the production of fruits, vegetables, and wine ranges from central to southern France. France is a large producer of many agricultural products and is currently expanding its forestry and fishery industries. The implementation of the [[Common Agricultural Policy]] (CAP) and the [[Uruguay Round]] of the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] (GATT) have resulted in reforms in the agricultural sector of the economy.

As the world's second-largest agricultural exporter, France ranks just after the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france.tv/france-2/actualites-et-societe/toutes-les-videos/|title=France 2 Actualités & société - Tous les vidéos et replay &#124; France tv|website=www.france.tv|access-date=31 March 2022|archive-date=18 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918101009/http://info.france2.fr/medias/Charles-Enderlin-d%C3%A9cor%C3%A9-de-la-L%C3%A9gion-d%27honneur-56553145.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The destination of 49% of its exports is other [[EU members]] states. France also provides agricultural exports to many poor African countries (including its former colonies) which face serious food shortages. Wheat, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy products are the principal exports.

Exports from the United States face stiff competition from domestic production, other EU member states, and third-world countries in France. US agricultural exports to France, totaling some $600&nbsp;million annually, consist primarily of soybeans and soybean products, feeds and fodders, seafood, and consumer products, especially snack foods and nuts. French exports to the United States are much more high-value products such as [[French cheese|its cheese]], processed products and [[French wine|its wine]].

The French agricultural sector receives almost €11&nbsp;billion in EU subsidies. France produced in 2018 39.5&nbsp;million tons of [[sugar beet]] (2nd largest producer in the world, just behind Russia), which serves to produce sugar and [[ethanol]]; 35.8&nbsp;million tons of wheat (5th largest producer in the world); 12.6&nbsp;million tons of maize (11th largest producer in the world); 11.2&nbsp;million tons of [[barley]] (2nd largest producer in the world, only behind Russia); 7.8&nbsp;million tons of potato (8th largest producer in the world); 6.2&nbsp;million tons of grape (5th largest producer in the world); 4.9&nbsp;million tons of [[rapeseed]] (4th largest producer in the world, behind Canada, China and India); 2.2&nbsp;million tons of [[sugarcane]]; 1.7&nbsp;million tons of apple (9th largest producer in the world); 1.3&nbsp;million tons of [[triticale]] (4th largest producer in the world, only behind Poland, Germany and Belarus); 1.2&nbsp;million tons of [[sunflower seed]] (9th largest producer in the world); 712 thousand tons of [[tomatoes]]; 660 thousand tons of [[linen]]; 615 thousand tons of dry [[pea]]; 535 thousand tons of carrot; 427 thousand tons of [[oats]]; 400 thousand tons of [[soy]]; in addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/|title=FAOSTAT|website=www.fao.org|access-date=31 March 2022|archive-date=12 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in France}}
[[File:Chateau-de-versailles-cour.jpg|thumb|The [[Palace of Versailles]] is one of the most popular tourist destinations in France.]]

France is the world's most popular tourist destination with more than 83.7&nbsp;million foreign tourists in 2014,<ref>{{cite web |title=La France toujours premiere destination touristique au monde |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/2015/04/08/20005-20150408ARTFIG00013-la-france-toujours-premiere-destination-touristique-au-monde.php |website=lefigaro.fr |date=8 April 2015 |access-date=2 November 2015 |archive-date=20 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120135019/http://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/2015/04/08/20005-20150408ARTFIG00013-la-france-toujours-premiere-destination-touristique-au-monde.php |url-status=live }}</ref> ahead of Spain (58.5&nbsp;million in 2006) and the United States (51.1&nbsp;million in 2006). This figure excludes people staying less than 24 hours in France, such as northern Europeans crossing France on their way to Spain or Italy during the summer.

According to figures from 2003, some popular tourist sites include (in visitors per year):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/deps/mini_chiff_03/fr/musee.htm|title=Musées et Monuments historiques|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224180811/http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/deps/mini_chiff_03/fr/musee.htm|archive-date=24 December 2007}}</ref> [[Eiffel Tower]] (6.2&nbsp;million), [[Louvre]] Museum (5.7&nbsp;million), [[Palace of Versailles]] (2.8&nbsp;million), [[Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie]] (2.6&nbsp;million), [[Musée d'Orsay]] (2.1&nbsp;million), [[Arc de Triomphe]] (1.2&nbsp;million), [[Centre Georges Pompidou|Centre Pompidou]] (1.2&nbsp;million), [[Mont-Saint-Michel]] (1&nbsp;million), [[Château de Chambord]] (711,000), [[Sainte-Chapelle]] (683,000), [[Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg]] (549,000), [[Puy-de-Dôme (mountain)|Puy de Dôme]] (500,000), [[Musée Picasso]] (441,000), [[Carcassonne]] (362,000). However, the most popular site in France is [[Disneyland Paris]], with 9.7&nbsp;million visitors in 2017<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.statista.com/statistics/236162/attendance-at-the-paris-disneyland-park-theme-park/| title = Disneyland Park Paris attendance| access-date = 4 June 2018| archive-date = 4 October 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181004064405/https://www.statista.com/statistics/236162/attendance-at-the-paris-disneyland-park-theme-park/| url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Arms industry ===
[[File:IAF Rafale aircraft touching down at Air Force Station Ambala on its arrival on 29 July 2020 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Dassault Rafale]]]]
The French government is the French arms industry's main customer, mainly buying warships, guns, nuclear weapons and equipment.

During the 2000–2015 period, France was the fourth largest [[Arms industry#World's largest arms exporters|weapons exporter]] in the world.<ref>[http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php SIPRI Arms Transfers Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214003447/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php |date=14 February 2013 }}, data 2000–10. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/arms-trade-exporters-importers-weapons-transfers-sipri-a6891491.html Arms trade: One chart that shows the biggest weapons exporters of the last five years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815131730/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/arms-trade-exporters-importers-weapons-transfers-sipri-a6891491.html |date=15 August 2017 }}, [[The Independent]]</ref>

French manufacturers export great quantities of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Greece, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Singapore and many others. It was reported that in 2015, French arms sales internationally amounted to 17.4&nbsp;billion U.S. dollars,<ref>[http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2016/01/20/France-doubles-arms-sales-in-2015/9501453304801/ France doubles arms sales in 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221164957/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2016/01/20/France-doubles-arms-sales-in-2015/9501453304801/ |date=21 December 2016 }}, UPI.com</ref> more than double the figure of 2014.<ref>[http://www.france24.com/en/20150503-arms-sales-becoming-france-new-el-dorado-but-what-cost-francois-hollande-saudi-arabia-rafale Arms sales becoming France's new El Dorado, but at what cost?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221233146/http://www.france24.com/en/20150503-arms-sales-becoming-france-new-el-dorado-but-what-cost-francois-hollande-saudi-arabia-rafale |date=21 December 2016 }}, [[France24]]</ref>
=== Fashion and luxury goods ===
{{Main|French fashion}}

According to 2017 data compiled by [[Deloitte]], [[Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey]] (LVMH), a French brand, is the largest luxury company in the world by sales, selling more than twice the amount of its nearest competitor.<ref name="mode">[https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ar/Documents/Consumer_and_Industrial_Products/Global-Powers-of-Luxury-Goods-abril-2019.pdf Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2019: Bridging the gap between the old and the new] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926170737/https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ar/Documents/Consumer_and_Industrial_Products/Global-Powers-of-Luxury-Goods-abril-2019.pdf |date=26 September 2020 }}, [[Deloitte]]</ref> Moreover, France also possesses 3 of the top 10 luxury goods companies by sales ([[LVMH]], [[Kering SA]], [[L'Oréal]]), more than any other country in the world.<ref name="mode"/>

Paris is considered one of the world's foremost [[fashion capital]]s, or even "the world's fashion capital".<ref>[https://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/top-10-global-fashion-capitals Top 10 Global Fashion Capitals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021072122/https://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/top-10-global-fashion-capitals |date=21 October 2020 }}, Fashion schools</ref> The French tradition for [[haute couture]] has been estimated to start as early as the era of [[Louis XIV]], the Sun King.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/the-king-of-couture/402952/ The King of Couture: How Louis XIV invented fashion as we know it] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924234924/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/the-king-of-couture/402952/ |date=24 September 2020 }}, [[The Atlantic]]</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in France}}
Education in France is organised in a highly centralised manner, with many subdivisions.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|title=France|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France/Education|access-date=2 November 2019|website=Encyclopaedia Britannica|archive-date=2 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102212336/https://www.britannica.com/place/France/Education|url-status=live}}</ref> It is divided into the three stages of primary education (''enseignement primaire''), secondary education (''enseignement secondaire''), and higher education (''enseignement supérieur''). In French higher education, the following degrees are recognised by the [[Bologna Process]] (EU recognition): ''Licence'' and ''Licence Professionnelle'' (bachelor's degrees), and the comparably named ''Master'' and ''Doctorat'' degrees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=French higher educational system |url=https://www.arabiesaoudite.campusfrance.org/en/french-higher-educational-system |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=Campus France |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]] coordinated by the [[OECD]] currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of French 15-year-olds as 26th in the world in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, near the OECD average of 493.<ref name="pisa2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206115004/https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf |archive-date=6 December 2019 |url-status=live|title=PISA 2018 Results Combined Executive Summaries Volume I, II & III|date=2019|website=[[OECD]]}}</ref> France's performance in mathematics and science at the middle school level was ranked 23 in the 1995 [[TIMSS|Trends in International Math and Science Study]].<ref>{{cite web|title=TIMSS 1995 Highlights of Results for the Middle School Years|url=http://timss.bc.edu/timss1995i/HiLightB.html|access-date=21 August 2017|website=timss.bc.edu|archive-date=11 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011041220/https://timss.bc.edu/timss1995i/HiLightB.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:UGA Faculté d'Economie de Grenoble.jpg|thumb|[[Grenoble Alpes University]], the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 researchers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flochlay |first=Anne-Claire |title=Université Grenoble Alpes |url=https://www.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/francais/accueil-573045.kjsp?RH=2320611992734654 |accessdate=2 July 2023 |website=Université Grenoble Alpes}}</ref>]]The [[OECD]] also found that students in France reported greater concern about discipline and behaviour at school and in classrooms, much more than the rest of Europe.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |title=Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) France |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_FRA.pdf |journal=OECD}}</ref> This was higher than all [[OECD]] countries.<ref name="pisa20182">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212232913/https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf|archive-date=2024-02-12|title=PISA 2018 Results: Combined Executive Summaries Volume I, II & III|website=[[OECD]]|date=2019}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> School principals reported higher staff and material shortage in France, higher than [[OECD]] averages.<ref name=":1" /> About 7% of French teachers believe the teaching profession is highly valued in France and in society.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |title=Education GPS - France - Teachers and teaching conditions, primary and lower secondary education (TALIS 2018) |url=https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=FRA&treshold=5&topic=TA}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> School principals noted regular acts of violence/ bullying among their students, higher than averages.<ref name=":5" /> The time spent of teaching time spent on keeping classes in good order is one of the largest in France, among all [[OECD]] countries studied.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1" /> France also has a high [[Dropping out|drop out]] rate.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=French schools falling further behind, shows major new study |url=https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/French-schools-falling-further-behind-shows-major-new-study |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=connexionfrance}}</ref> 

Pupils can take apprenticeships to enter the [[Labour economics|labour market]] with the [[Baccalauréat|Baccalauréat Technologique.]] It allows pupils pursue short and technical studies (laboratory, design and applied arts, hotel and restaurant, management etc).

Higher education in France was reshaped by the student revolts of [[May 68|May 1968]]. During the 1960s, French public universities responded to a massive explosion in the number of students (280,000 in 1962–63 to 500,000 in 1967–68) by stuffing approximately one-third of their students into hastily developed campus annexes (roughly equivalent to American [[satellite campus]]es) which lacked decent amenities, resident professors, academic traditions, or the dignity of university status.<ref name="Legois">{{cite book|last1=Legois|first1=Jean-Philippe|title=Student Revolt, City, and Society in Europe: From the Middle Ages to the Present|last2=Monchablon|first2=Alain|date=2018|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781351691031|editor1-last=Dhondt|editor1-first=Pierre|location=New York|pages=67–78|chapter=From the Struggle against Repression to the 1968 General Strike in France|access-date=5 February 2021|editor2-last=Boran|editor2-first=Elizabethanne|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DkgrDwAAQBAJ&dq=University%20of%20Paris%201968%20split&pg=PA68|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312185100/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Student_Revolt_City_and_Society_in_Europ/DkgrDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=University%20of%20Paris%201968%20split&pg=PA68&printsec=frontcover|url-status=live}}</ref> This is why the French [[Higher education|higher education economy]] performs poorly compared with other high-performing countries such as [[Economy of England|England]] or [[Economy of Australia|Australia.]] France also hosts various [[Catholic higher education|catholic universities]] recognised by the state, the largest one being [[Lille Catholic University]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Campus France - Lille Catholic University|url=https://ressources.campusfrance.org/guides_etab/etablissements/en/institut_catholille_en.pdf|access-date=9 October 2021|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411223832/https://ressources.campusfrance.org/guides_etab/etablissements/en/institut_catholille_en.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> as well branch colleges of foreign universities. They include [[Baruch College]], the [[University of London Institute in Paris]], [[Parsons Paris School of Art and Design]] and the [[American University of Paris]]. Eighteen million pupils and students are in the education system, over 2.4 million of whom are in [[higher education]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kabla-Langlois|first1=Isabelle|last2=Dauphin|first2=Laurence|date=2015|title=Students in higher education|url=http://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/8EN/EESR8EN_ES_11-students_in_higher_education.php|access-date=23 November 2015|website=Higher education & research in France, facts and figures - 49 indicators|issue=8|pages=32–33|publisher=Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche|location=Paris|archive-date=24 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124013823/http://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/8EN/EESR8EN_ES_11-students_in_higher_education.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Transport ===
{{Main|Transport in France}}
[[File:Gare de Brest 13.jpg|thumb|[[Brest station]]]]
[[File:Gare de l'Est Paris 2007 a5.jpg|thumb|right|Two high-speed [[TGV]] trains by [[Alstom|Alstom SA]] at [[Gare de l'Est|Paris-Gare de l'Est]]]]

Transportation in France relies on one of the densest networks in the world with 146&nbsp;km of road and 6.2&nbsp;km of rail lines per 100&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. It is built as a web with Paris at its centre.<ref>[http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/france_829/decouvrir-france_4177/france-a-z_2259/economie_2624/les-grands-secteurs-economiques_5945.html Les grands secteurs économiques] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423165523/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/france_829/decouvrir-france_4177/france-a-z_2259/economie_2624/les-grands-secteurs-economiques_5945.html |date=23 April 2015 }} ''Ministère des Affaires étrangères'' Retrieved 4 November 2007</ref> The highly subsidised [[rail transport in France|rail transport network]] makes up a relatively small portion of travel, most of which is done by car. However, the high-speed [[TGV]] trains make up a large proportion of long-distance travel, partially because intercity buses were prevented from operating until 2015.

With 3,220 kilometers of [[high-speed train]] lines, France boast the 2nd most expansive network in the world, only after China.<ref>[https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-high-speed-rail-development-worldwide Fact Sheet: High Speed Rail Development Worldwide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929073019/https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-high-speed-rail-development-worldwide |date=29 September 2020 }}, Environmental and Energy Institute</ref> [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] is one of the busiest airports in the world by passenger traffic.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/airports/statistics/statistics-general-info/annual-atr/ATR2019.pdf|title=2019 Annual Airport Traffic Report|publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.|year=2020|location=United States|access-date=25 September 2020|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127110141/https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/airports/statistics/statistics-general-info/annual-atr/ATR2019.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles de Gaulle airport is third globally in the number of destinations served, and first in the number of countries served with non-stop flights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.anna.aero/2017/02/15/frankfurt-paris-cdg-lead-s17-airport-analysis/|title=Frankfurt and Paris CDG lead global analysis of airports in S17|date=15 February 2017|website=anna.aero|language=en-GB|access-date=26 September 2020|archive-date=11 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811215631/https://www.anna.aero/2017/02/15/frankfurt-paris-cdg-lead-s17-airport-analysis/|url-status=live}}</ref>

France also boasts a number of seaports and harbours, including [[Bayonne]], [[Bordeaux]], [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]], [[Brest, Finistère|Brest]], [[Calais]], [[Cherbourg-Octeville]], [[Dunkerque]], [[Fos-sur-Mer]], [[La Pallice]], [[Le Havre]], [[Lorient]], [[Marseille]], [[Nantes]], Nice, Paris, [[Port-la-Nouvelle]], [[Port-Vendres]], [[Roscoff]], [[Rouen]], [[Saint-Nazaire]], [[Saint-Malo]], [[Sète]], [[Strasbourg]] and [[Toulon]]. There are approximately 470 airports in France and by a 2005 estimate, there are three heliports. 288 of the airports have paved runways, with the remaining 199 being unpaved. The national carrier of France is [[Air France]], a full service global airline which flies to 20 domestic destinations and 150 international destinations in 83 countries (including [[Overseas France]]) across all 6 major continents.