Country page · Europe & Central Asia
If you were born in France
1 in 201 babies · 0.50% of births · about 666,587 a year
Right now, about 0.50% of the world's babies are born in France — 1 in 201, or roughly 666,587 a year and 1,826 a day. Life expectancy there is 83.0 years.
How the 1 in 201 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: France has about 666,587 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.50% — 1 in 201. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in France, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 85.9 · men 80.2 | 83.0 years | 16th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 4.3 / 1,000 | 0.4% | 31st lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 3.4 / 1,000 | 0.3% | 29th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 7 | 35th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.61 | 60th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 15.8 years | 38th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 71.5% | 42nd highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $63,975 | 24th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 31.80 | 114th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 78.8% | 43rd highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 2.3% | 23rd lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 88.7% | 57th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 1.3 | 54th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 9.2% | 13th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.30% | 75th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 33.6% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
France compared with Europe & Central Asia
Life expectancy in France is 83.0 years, against a Europe & Central Asia average of 78.6. The under-5 death rate is 0.4%, versus 0.7% across the region. Income per person is $63,975, against $53,288 regionally; expected schooling is 15.8 years against 15.9. 78.8% of people live in cities, against 67.9% in the region.
| Indicator | France | Europe & Central Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 83.0 yrs | 78.6 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $63,975 | $53,288 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 15.8 yrs | 15.9 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 78.8% | 67.9% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 83.0 years on average, with roughly 4.3 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 15.8 years of school, and income per person is around $63,975. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in France
The game draws France in about 1 of every 201 births. From there the life runs year by year: 83.0 years of life expectancy on average, a 0.4% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $63,975 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Germany — 1 in 198
- Chance of being born in United Kingdom — 1 in 195
- Chance of being born in Türkiye — 1 in 142
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in France?
What is life expectancy in France?
How many babies are born in France each year?
Is France a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.