averageperson.euOne statistical standard, 27 countries

Side by side

Italy and France

The same question asked of every column. Numbers that break down by age or sex follow the controls; the rest stay country-wide and say so.

Swap sides

Italy

France

The widest gap is With a degree: France 44.8% against Italy 22.3%, 22.5 points apart.

Ageall ages
Sex

One question per row

The faint tick on each bar is the EU27 figure.

Figure
Italy
France

People

Median age6.3 years
49.1 years
42.8 years
Life expectancy at birth0.7 years
83.7 years
83.0 years
People16.9%
58.9m
68.9m
People per square kilometre82.1%
198 per km²
109 per km²
Women in the population0.4 points
51.0%
51.5%
Born abroad2.2 points
11.8%
14.0%
Born outside the EU2.0 points
9.1%
11.1%

Money and work

Disposable income per person19.9%
€22,062
€26,459
Average net income21.7%
€25,011
€30,438
Take-home pay, average-wage worker16.4%
€27,788
€32,346
Gross pay, average-wage worker10.8%
€40,056
€44,400
In work, age 20 to 647.8 points
67.6%
75.4%
Out of work1.6 points
6.1%
7.7%
Hours worked a week0.1 hours
37.3 hours
37.2 hours
At risk of poverty2.3 points
18.6%
16.3%
Housing costs over 40% of income1.4 points
5.0%
6.4%
GDP per person13.2%
€38,310
€43,350

Family and home

People at home4.8%
2.2
2.1
Households with children1.1 points
28.1%
29.2%
Children per woman36.4%
1.18
1.61
Own their home15.7 points
77.1%
61.4%

Health and daily life

Hospital beds71.3%
312 per 100,000 people
534 per 100,000 people
Doctors45.8%
575 per 100,000 people
395 per 100,000 people

Education

With a degree22.5 points
22.3%
44.8%
Students per 1,000 people6.9%
39.2 per 1,000 people
41.9 per 1,000 people

Public spending

Public spending on them29.4%
€18,808
€24,346
Tax raised per person16.2%
€16,554
€19,244
Government debt21.5 points
137.1%
115.6%

Country and infrastructure

Land area2.11×
302,073 km²
638,475 km²
Railway density30.3%
56.7 per 1,000 km²
43.5 per 1,000 km²
Motorway density36.9%
25.4 per 1,000 km²
18.5 per 1,000 km²
Cars per 1,000 people22.7%
709 per 1,000 people
578 per 1,000 people
Households with internet0.3 points
94.1%
94.4%
Tourist nights per resident32.6%
9.08
6.85

Environment

Renewable energy3.4 points
20.5%
23.9%
Land under forest3.5 points
31.6%
28.1%

Where €100 of public spending goes

Every euro each general government spends, sorted into the ten functions all 27 countries report against. Open a row for the ranking of 27 and what sits inside it.

Italy

France

Function
Italy
France
15.4%
10.8%
2.6%
3.2%
3.5%
3.1%
10.1%
9.9%
1.8%
1.8%
1.5%
2.5%
13.2%
15.6%
1.7%
2.6%
8.0%
8.9%
42.2%
41.5%

Reference year 2024. Total public spending €100.00 in every column, so the ten shares always add up to one hundred.

Frequently asked: Italy and France

  1. Which covers more ground: Italy or France?

    The gap is 2.11×: France 638,475, Italy 302,073. Total area of the country, inland water included. reg_area3 · 2026. See the figure

  2. Where do more adults hold a degree: Italy or France?

    The gap is 22.5 points: France 44.8%, Italy 22.3%. Share of adults whose highest completed education is a university or other tertiary degree. edat_lfse_03 · 2025. See the figure

  3. Which is more crowded: Italy or France?

    The gap is 82.1%: Italy 198, France 109. People per square kilometre of that total area. reg_area3 · 2026. See the figure

  4. Where are there more hospital beds per 100,000 people: Italy or France?

    The gap is 71.3%: France 534, Italy 312. Beds available in hospitals, per 100,000 residents. hlth_rs_bds1 · 2024. See the figure

  5. Which spends a larger share on recreation and culture: Italy or France?

    The gap is 0.9 points: France 2.6%, Italy 1.7%. Sport and recreation, libraries, museums, broadcasting, and places of worship. gov_10a_exp · 2024. See the figure

  6. Where are there more doctors per 100,000 people: Italy or France?

    The gap is 45.8%: Italy 575, France 395. Practising doctors, per 100,000 residents. hlth_rs_phys · 2024. See the figure

  7. Which spends more on health per resident: Italy or France?

    The gap is 53.5%: France €3,803, Italy €2,477. Hospitals, doctors, medicines and medical equipment, and public health programmes. gov_10a_exp · 2024. See the figure

  8. Where are more children born per woman: Italy or France?

    The gap is 36.4%: France 1.61, Italy 1.18. Children a woman would bear over her life at today’s age-specific birth rates. demo_find · 2024. See the figure

  9. Where do housing costs eat more of the income: Italy or France?

    The gap is 1.4 points: France 6.4%, Italy 5.0%. Share whose housing costs exceed 40% of their disposable income. ilc_lvho07a · 2025. See the figure

  10. Where does more energy come from renewables: Italy or France?

    The gap is 3.4 points: France 23.9%, Italy 20.5%. Share of final energy use that comes from renewable sources. nrg_ind_ren · 2025. See the figure

Medians where possible, per-capita averages for spending. This person is a composite of published statistics, not the most common person in the country.