Choose France

France has been the top country in Europe for investment since 2019. The country’s diverse advantages makes it an obvious choice for business projects. (Source: EY, 2025).

With its strategic geographic position, France is a dynamic business and investment hub that opens the door to European and African markets.

• The world’s 7th largest economy in 2023
• #7 in the world and #4 in Europe for exports

Contrary to popular belief, the regulatory and administrative environment in France has been simplified, making it easy to set up a business in France.

– Did you know? In France, you can set up a company in just four days, compared with eight days in Germany and ten days in Switzerland (Source: IMD - Lausanne Institute - 2024)

– Similarly, labor productivity in France is among the highest in the OECD and serves as a major stimulant for growth: it reached €65.60 in 2023 in purchasing power parity, compared to €53.38 in Spain and €53.50 in Italy (Source: OECD)

France is a global leader in education and its post-secondary schools produce highly qualified professionals.

– Eighteen French universities are ranked in the Top 500 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024 (Source: Shanghai Ranking)

• French business schools are welcoming more international students every year
• France is a top destination for international students
• 42% of 25–64-year-olds in France have post-secondary degrees

France offers the highest level of public support for R&D in the OECD, which is a genuine advantage for innovation.

• #3 in Europe and #7 worldwide for R&D spending
• #2 in Europe for patent filings
• France’s research tax credit (CIR) is one of the most generous tax incentives in the OECD, covering 30% of R&D expenditures
• With 11.4

With the largest nuclear fleet in Europe, France guarantees predominantly low-carbon electricity at attractive prices.

• 62% of the electricity produced in 2022 was from nuclear energy (Source: IEA, 2024)
• 88% of electricity comes from decarbonized production methods (Source: IEA, 2024)
• The France 2030 public investment program allocates €27 billion to the decarbonization of industry

France has some of the world’s highest quality transportation and telecommunications infrastructure.

• Second-longest rail network in Europe
• Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris ranks #1 in the EU for passenger traffic and #2 for cargo traffic (Source: Eurostat)
• More than 51% of the country is covered by high-speed internet

All figures and data on this page are taken from the Key Indicators of French Economic Attractiveness report for 2023-24 published by Business France.

France ranks among the world’s top five countries for the energy transition (Energy Transition Index, WEF, June 2024).

Objectives of the Green Industry Act (2023):

• minus 41 megatons of CO₂ equivalent by 2030 (France’s carbon footprint = 644 megatons CO₂, INSEE)
• plus €23 billion in investments.
• plus 40 000 direct jobs