EUR
…
EUR
…
Land Area
France
551,695 km²
Largest
Spain
505,992 km²
91.7% of largest
France is 1.09× larger than Spain
Population
France
LARGEST
68.72M
PEOPLE
Spain
71.8% OF LARGEST
49.36M
PEOPLE
France has 1.39× the population of Spain
GDP
France
LARGEST
$3.37T
Spain
56.6% OF LARGEST
$1.91T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
France
LARGEST
203.85K
TROOPS
Spain
59.0% OF LARGEST
120.35K
TROOPS
France has 1.69× the active personnel of Spain
Air Force
France
LARGEST
1.06K
AIRCRAFT
Spain
49.5% OF LARGEST
522
AIRCRAFT
France has 2.02× the aircraft of Spain
Naval Assets
France
Spain
Wealth
Gold Reserves
France
LARGEST
2,437.0
Metric Tonnes
Spain
11.6% OF LARGEST
281.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
Spain
LARGEST
$84B
Reserves · excl. gold
France
92.9% OF LARGEST
$78B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
France
MOST
43
billionaires
Spain
67% OF MOST
29
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Spain
LARGEST
0.2
Billion barrels
France
66.7% OF LARGEST
0.1
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
France
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
1.6M b/d
−1.6M b/d net
Spain
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
1.3M b/d
−1.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
France
$1,071.1B
Exports
$1,071.1B
Imports
$1,081.5B
Trade Balance
$-10.4B
Trade Deficit
Spain
$639.5B
Exports
$639.5B
Imports
$567.7B
Trade Balance
+$71.8B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
France
consumption
Spain
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
France
consumption
Spain
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Spain
consumption
France
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
France
consumption
Spain
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Spain
consumption
France
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
France
Spain
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
France
295
Gold
331
Silver
365
Bronze
991
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 830
❄ Winter: 161
Spain
55
Gold
77
Silver
63
Bronze
195
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 187
❄ Winter: 8
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
France
Spain
Age Demographics
Median Age
Spain
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
France
41.7
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Spain is 3.2 years older (median) than France
Youth Population
France has the highest youth population at 35.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Spain has the highest elderly population at 29.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
France
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
188
|
190
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
79.4M
|
85.2M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
76
|
8
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
30
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
50
|
50
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
France
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
N/A |
| Rent Index |
|
N/A |
| Groceries Index |
|
N/A |
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
N/A |
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
N/A |
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $15 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $60 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $1,000 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $750 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $165 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $30 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $70 | N/A |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
France
Spain
Physicians per 1,000
Spain
France
Hospital beds per 1,000
France
Spain
Diabetes prevalence
Spain
France
Obesity prevalence
Spain
France
Suicide rate per 100k
France
Spain
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for France vs Spain — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68720337 | 49355143 |
| Area (sq km) | 551695 | 505992 |
| Capital | Paris | Madrid |
| Official Language | French | Spanish |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Government Type | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 203,850 | 120,350 |
| Reserve Personnel | 35,000 | 15,150 |
| Total Military Personnel | 240,000 | 135,500 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $55,000,000,000 | $14,900,000,000 |
| Tanks | 406 | 327 |
| Armored Vehicles | 6,300 | 2,040 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 109 | 96 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 | 56 |
| Rocket Projectors | 13 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $3,366,315,927,447 | $1,906,453,309,986 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $48,986 | $38,627 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 7.5% | 10.4% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 31.8 | 33.4 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
France is 1.1 times larger in area than Spain.
France has 1.4 times more people than Spain.
France has the highest GDP per capita at $48,986 among the selected countries.
France has the largest economy with a GDP of
$3.37 trillion.
France has the largest active military personnel with 203,850 troops.
France has the largest air force with 1,055 aircraft.
France has the largest navy with 180 vessels.
France vs Spain: Key Comparisons
Economy: France's GDP of $3.4T is 1.8x larger than Spain's $1.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: France's population of 69M is 1.4x larger than Spain's 49M.
Area: France covers 551,695 km², making it 1.1x larger than Spain.
Military: France fields 200Thousand active troops vs Spain's 120Thousand.
Trade: France has a trade deficit of $10B while Spain runs a trade surplus of $72B.
Life Expectancy: Spain leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs France's 83.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology