French economic attractiveness in a nutshell
With a GDP of US$2,775 billion in 2018 (IMF), France plays a major role in international trade. It is ranked fifth in the top 10 most attractive countries in the world (2019 FDI) and is home to 28 of the world’s 500 leading companies (Fortune Global 500, 2018).
A WELCOMING COUNTRY
France’s attractiveness improved further in 2018. A new record was set with 1,323 foreign investment projects. France hosts 28,000 foreign companies employing two million people. Moreover, more than 343,000 international students chose France in 2017-2018, up 4.5% on the previous year.
AN INNOVATIVE COUNTRY WITH A STRONG ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
France was ranked third in the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Index. At a time when the French government has put entrepreneurship at the top of its agenda, business creation has never been higher in France. In 2017, more than 594,500 firms were founded, 6.7% more than in 2016. A government-led public/private “La French Tech” initiative is helping French startups to build a solid international reputation in areas such as industry, the sharing economy and artificial intelligence. “La French Tech” is judged to be a pertinent initiative to promote French savoirfaire internationally by 97% of senior foreign executives. In 2018, 9,500 startups raised €3.6 billion. Station F, in Paris, is the world’s biggest startup campus. It is one of the easiest countries to found a business in as only 3,5 days are required (World Bank, Doing Business 2018). French government is committed to the environmental transition and targets a 50% increase in renewable energy generation by 2023.