France Economic Snapshot
The snapshot offers a concise summary of France's economic trends and prospects, drawing from the OECD Economic Survey, Economic Outlook, and Economic Policy Reform: Going for Growth reports, delivering in-depth analyses of economic trends, suggested policy recommendations, alongside an overview of structural policy developments.
Latest Economic Outlook projection note released 3 June 2025
Latest Economic Survey of France (July 2024)
France has faced two significant, successive shocks: the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in inflation. Emergency government measures were decisive in protecting business, jobs and purchasing power, but at a high fiscal cost. Efforts to reduce public spending will be key to lower government debt. Lifting productivity growth hinges on a wider diffusion of digital technologies, reduced regulatory barriers and stronger innovation. The effectiveness of carbon pricing could be strengthened by gradually removing subsidies and tax exemptions that certain sectors benefit from.
Students perform at a similar level to OECD peers but the link between socio-economic background and educational outcomes is particularly strong. Spreading the allocation of public support to disadvantaged students more widely across schools would help to avoid threshold effects and to better respond to students’ needs. Rebalancing the distribution of education spending in favour of primary schools could provide greater support to children in the early years of their schooling. The use of modern teaching approaches, including cognitive activation practices, that are associated with better student achievement, could be reinforced.
SPECIAL FEATURE: IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
Further reading
The joint effects of energy prices and carbon taxes on environmental and economic performance: Evidence from the French manufacturing sector (February 2020)
This study estimates the effect of energy prices and carbon taxation on firms’ environmental and economic performance. The analysis uses data on 8 000 firms that are representative of the French manufacturing sector and observed during 2001-2016. The paper shows that (i) even though a 10% increase in energy prices causes a decline in energy use by 6% at the firm level, this increment has no effect on net employment at the industry level, but it motivates a reallocation of production and workers from energy intensive to energy-efficient firms. Our conclusion calls for complementary labour market policies that minimise costs on affected workers and ease between-firms adjustments in employment.
Read the blog post: Carbon tax, emissions reduction and employment: Some evidence from France
Lire le blog: Taxe carbone : quel impact environnemental et économique dans le secteur manufacturier français ?
