Country profile · Western Europe
France
France has the world's seventh-largest economy ($3.37 trillion, IMF 2025) and is the only nuclear power in the European Union. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Its overseas territories give it the world's second-largest sea area, after the United States. Emmanuel Macron has been president since 2017. His second and last consecutive term ends in May 2027.
Where France ranks
All rankings →Who runs France?
President Emmanuel Macron has run France since May 2017. At 39 he was the youngest president in French history. He met his wife Brigitte at his school in Amiens, where she taught French and Latin. She is 24 years older. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu runs the government. The National Assembly has had no majority since July 2024 and has toppled two prime ministers. Marine Le Pen of the Rassemblement National leads the polls for the presidential election of April 18 and May 2, 2027, at 34 to 36% in every first-round scenario (Ipsos, September 2026). An appeal court upheld her conviction for embezzling EU funds on July 7, 2026, but shortened her ban from office, so she can run.
- Macron's centrist camp 163
- Rassemblement National and allies 139
- Left and other groups 275
Portrait (2025): Nebojša Tejić, Government of Slovenia, Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Who are France's allies and rivals?
France was a founding member of NATO in 1949. President Charles de Gaulle took France out of NATO's military command in 1966, and it returned in 2009. On March 2, 2026, President Macron offered European allies "forward deterrence": French nuclear-capable jets may be deployed to their territory for short periods. Ten countries had joined talks by September 2026, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Finland. France and the UK lead the plans for a multinational force in Ukraine after a ceasefire. France's 2025 strategic review names Russia as its most direct threat. Between 2022 and 2025 French troops left Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. Russia's Africa Corps now operates in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Allies and partners
GermanyNuclear steering group since March 2026
United KingdomNuclear coordination pact since July 2025
UkraineRoadmap for 16 Rafale jets, July 2026
GreeceMutual defense pact, renewed April 2026
IndiaLargest buyer of French arms, 2021-25
United Arab EmiratesFrench base in Abu Dhabi since 2009
- Île Longue Base of France's four nuclear missile submarines. One has been at sea at all times since 1972.
- Tapa About 350 French soldiers serve in NATO's UK-led battlegroup in Estonia.
- Cincu France leads NATO's multinational battlegroup in Romania with more than 1,400 troops.
- Algiers Algeria withdrew its ambassador in July 2024 after France backed Morocco on Western Sahara. France's ambassador returned in May 2026.
- France
- Partner
- Rival
Who does France trade with?
France exported €614.7 billion of goods in 2025 and imported €683.9 billion, a deficit of €69.2 billion, €10.0 billion less than in 2024. Aircraft and spacecraft were the top export at a record €67.9 billion. Pharmaceuticals were second at €41.0 billion. Germany is both the largest customer and the largest supplier. France was the most visited country in 2025, with 102 million tourists spending a record €77.5 billion. Nuclear power produced 68% of electricity in 2025, and France exported a record 92.3 TWh to its neighbors. Since July 24, 2026, most EU goods have paid a combined tariff of 10% in the United States.
Spain
BelgiumGoods trade, 2025, excluding military equipment. Shares of France's exports and imports from French customs data, as published in the Foreign Ministry's country sheets.
How strong is France's military?
SIPRI estimates France spent $68.0 billion on its military in 2025, ninth in the world and 2.0% of GDP. The IISS counts 203,900 active troops. A law of August 2026 added €36 billion to the 2024-2030 military budget. The first 3,000 volunteers for a new national service are joining their units in autumn 2026. The Charles de Gaulle is the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the US Navy. A successor, France Libre, is due in 2038. France is the world's second-largest arms exporter (9.8% of world exports in 2021-2025, SIPRI). Foreign buyers had ordered 299 new Rafale fighters by the end of 2025.
Military spending in Europe, 2025
Full ranking →
Russia est.$190bn- Germany$114bn
- United Kingdom$89.0bn
- Ukraine$84.1bn
- France$68.0bn
Italy$48.1bn
Poland$46.8bn
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, 2026 edition
How many nuclear weapons does France have?
The Federation of American Scientists estimates France has 370 nuclear warheads in 2026: a stockpile of about 290, plus up to 80 retired warheads awaiting dismantlement. On March 2, 2026, President Macron said "I have decided to increase the number of warheads of our arsenal" and that France would stop publishing the number. Analysts call it the first increase since 1992. The warheads are carried by four Triomphant-class submarines based at Île Longue with M51 missiles and by Rafale jets with ASMPA-R missiles. France tested its first bomb at Reggane, Algeria, on February 13, 1960, and carried out 210 tests until January 1996. The president alone decides on nuclear use.
Nuclear warheads, 2026
Full ranking →- Russia5,420
United States5,042
China620- France370
- United Kingdom225
- India190
Pakistan170
Federation of American Scientists, Status of World Nuclear Forces, 2026