France vs Japan
France vs Japan: Government debt
Government debt: 115.5% of GDP in France in 2025 and 213.6% of GDP in Japan in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Japan, by 101 percentage points, or 1.9 times that in France.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts France at 123.6% of GDP and Japan at 188.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | France | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 115.5 | 204.8 |
| 2024 | 112.6 | 213.6 |
| 2023 | 109.5 | 220.1 |
| 2022 | 111.4 | 228 |
| 2021 | 112.8 | 222.6 |
| 2020 | 114.9 | 228.8 |
| 2019 | 98.2 | 206.3 |
| 2018 | 98.5 | 203.7 |
| 2017 | 98.8 | 203.1 |
| 2016 | 98.2 | 202.1 |
| 2015 | 97 | 200.1 |
| 2014 | 96.2 | 203.6 |
| 2013 | 94.6 | 201.2 |
| 2012 | 91.7 | 197.1 |
| 2011 | 88.8 | 190.6 |
| 2010 | 86.3 | 178.6 |
| 2009 | 84.1 | 172.9 |
| 2008 | 69.8 | 153.6 |
| 2007 | 65.5 | 150.4 |
| 2006 | 65.4 | 152.1 |
| 2005 | 68.2 | 153.4 |
| 2004 | 66.9 | 148.8 |
| 2003 | 65.4 | 140.2 |
| 2002 | 61.3 | 134.6 |
| 2001 | 59.3 | 126.8 |
| 2000 | 59.7 | 118.5 |
| 1999 | 61.4 | 113.5 |
| 1998 | 62.1 | 101.6 |
| 1997 | 62 | 91.3 |
| 1996 | 60.6 | 85.3 |
| 1995 | 57.8 | 80.7 |
| 1994 | 51.6 | 73.3 |
| 1993 | 48.2 | 63.2 |
| 1992 | 41.7 | 57.9 |
| 1991 | 37.8 | 54.1 |
| 1990 | 36.8 | 54.8 |
| 1989 | 35.5 | 56.9 |
| 1988 | 34.7 | 62.4 |
| 1987 | 34.8 | 65.8 |
| 1986 | 32.4 | 64.2 |
| 1985 | 31.9 | 59.2 |
| 1984 | 30.2 | 56.9 |
| 1983 | 27.7 | 55.1 |
| 1982 | 26.2 | 50.1 |
| 1981 | 22.7 | 45.8 |
| 1980 | 21.3 | 41.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | France | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 118.5 | 199.4 |
| 2027 | 120.4 | 196.4 |
| 2028 | 121.7 | 193.8 |
| 2029 | 122.6 | 191.5 |
| 2030 | 123.2 | 190.1 |
| 2031 | 123.6 | 188.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
France vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyFrance: 83.3 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityFrance: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityFrance: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterFrance: 99.7% in 2022Japan: 98.7% in 2022
- DepressionFrance: 4.25% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateFrance: 12.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationFrance: 66.4 million people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthFrance: 0.17% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateFrance: 1.64 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationFrance: 78.8% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageFrance: 41.8 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overFrance: 21.8% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateFrance: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingFrance: 2.03% of GDP in 2025Japan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsFrance: $64.5B in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personFrance: $1,021 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingFrance: 3.5% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelFrance: 304,000 people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- National powerFrance: 1.09% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersFrance: 1% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsFrance: 236 million TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsFrance: 3.37 billion TIV in 2025Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025