Country Overview
France's infrastructure procurement processes rank among the best in the world. In combination with strong financial markets and a regulatory framework that supports the creation of new businesses, this promotes competition among providers and helps bring better value for money and higher quality outcomes from investment. However, sluggish GDP growth, poor tax incentives, growing public debt and the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic may hinder France's ability to fund future infrastructure expenditure.
See Full Overview Data
GDP per capita
45,188 USD
Population
65.4 million persons
Infrastructure quality
89.7 (0-100 best)
Infrastructure investment
2.6% of GDP
Infrastructure gap
0.0% of GDP

Driver Overview

This section shows a country’s rank, ranking change and score for each of the eight drivers. It also categorises each country’s driver performance on a scale from “Emerging” (score from 0-20) to “Global Leader” (score from 80-100).

Driver
Rank
Score /100
Emerging Aspiring Contender Top performer Global Leader
- No ranking change Ranking increase Ranking decrease

Rank

Score /100

Best practice

15
-
75.8
Global Leader
23
-
68.3
Top performer
21
1
81.1
Top performer
15
1
96.3
Global Leader
3
7
94.2
Global Leader
64
3
18.9
Aspiring
16
1
68.2
Global Leader
16
-
58.9
Global Leader

Metric Overview

Strengths

Transparency in public procurement

France's public procurement notices are made available online and tender documents detail both procurement procedures and shortlisting criteria. Transparency encourages more participation and competition, which drives value for money and improves outcomes.

Cost to start a business

According to the World Bank, it costs 0.7% of income per capita to start a business in France, well below the 4.7% High Income Countries average, easing the entry of new firms.

Financial stability

According to the International Monetary Fund, French authorities have improved system stability through the establishment of the High Council for Financial Stability and enhanced monitoring of stability risks. The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a concern.

Transparency in public procurement

France's public procurement notices are made available online and tender documents detail both procurement procedures and shortlisting criteria. Transparency encourages more participation and competition, which drives value for money and improves outcomes.

Cost to start a business

According to the World Bank, it costs 0.7% of income per capita to start a business in France, well below the 4.7% High Income Countries average, easing the entry of new firms.

Financial stability

According to the International Monetary Fund, French authorities have improved system stability through the establishment of the High Council for Financial Stability and enhanced monitoring of stability risks. The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a concern.

Top Performing Metrics

Top Performing Metrics

This is defined by the metrics with the highest unweighted score out of 100. 

High income country average

Financial markets:
Financial stability

Opportunities to Grow

Long term GDP growth trend

France’s long-term GDP growth trend increased to 1.3%, up slightly from 0.9% in InfraCompass 2017. Long-term growth rates signal a country’s capacity to fund infrastructure from future growth. The COVID-19 pandemic may impact GDP growth trends.

Gross government debt

France's gross government debt rose to 99% of GDP in 2019, well above the High Income Countries’ average of 74%. With the COVID-19 pandemic impact on borrowing, servicing debt may hinder the French government's ability to fund infrastructure through public investment.

Dealing with construction permits

According to the World Bank it takes an average of 213 days to obtain construction permits in France. Expediting this process could significantly impact investment in infrastructure by helping to reduce delays.

Long term GDP growth trend

France’s long-term GDP growth trend increased to 1.3%, up slightly from 0.9% in InfraCompass 2017. Long-term growth rates signal a country’s capacity to fund infrastructure from future growth. The COVID-19 pandemic may impact GDP growth trends.

Gross government debt

France's gross government debt rose to 99% of GDP in 2019, well above the High Income Countries’ average of 74%. With the COVID-19 pandemic impact on borrowing, servicing debt may hinder the French government's ability to fund infrastructure through public investment.

Dealing with construction permits

According to the World Bank it takes an average of 213 days to obtain construction permits in France. Expediting this process could significantly impact investment in infrastructure by helping to reduce delays.

Metrics to Improve

Metrics to Improve

This is defined by the metrics with the lowest weighted score out of 100, such that these metrics would have the greatest impact on the overall score.

For metrics that have binary outcomes (yes=100/no=0), no comparative income group average is reported.

High income country average

Funding capacity:
Long term GDP growth trend

Funding capacity:
Gross government debt

Detailed Data

This section shows country data for each of the 41 metrics. The figures in brackets denote the change in score since InfraCompass 2017. 

Note that all data has been normalised on a scale of 1-100. For raw metric data, please download the complete InfraCompass 2020 dataset. 

Where relevant, some metric scores have been inverted, such that all metrics have positive relationships with good infrastructure outcomes. For example, since lower compliance costs make it easier to invest in infrastructure, the normalised value of ‘number of procedures to start a business’ has been reversed such that lower number of procedures are scored closer to 100, and higher numbers closer to 0. In other words, a score of 0 indicates a poor performance, rather than 0 number of procedures.

Governance Regulatory Permits Planning Procurement Activity Funding Financial
Driver
Rank
Score /100
Emerging Aspiring Contender Top performer Global Leader
- No ranking change Ranking increase Ranking decrease

Metric

France

High Income Countries Average

Source Link

28.2%

Recovery rate

The recovery rate is recorded as cents on the dollar recovered by secured creditors through reorganisation, liquidation or debt enforcement (foreclosure or receivership) proceedings.

74.8 (-3.7)
68.3

20.7%

Rule of law

World Governance Composite Indicator reflecting perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. The rule of law reflects whether the law imposes limits of power on the state, private sector and individuals.

78.8 (+0.5)
74.3

18.1%

Post-completion reviews

Whether the country conducts post-completion reviews on infrastructure projects to ensure the forecast outcomes are being achieved.

Yes
-

15.1%

Shareholder governance

Measures the governance practices that protect shareholders through three dimensions: the extent of shareholder rights index (shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate decisions), the extent of ownership and control index (governance safeguards protecting shareholders from undue board control and entrenchment), and the extent of corporate transparency index (corporate transparency on ownership stakes).

56.7
48.1

12.8%

Political stability and absence of violence score

Measures perceptions of the likelihood of political instability and/or politically-motivated violence, including terrorism. Estimate gives the country's score on the aggregate indicator, in units of a standard normal distribution i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5.

51.8 (+3.4)
61.9

5%

Infrastructure or PPP agency

Whether an infrastructure agency exists to coordinate an integrated approach to infrastructure delivery and policy.

Yes
-

France

High Income Countries Average

74.8 (-3.7)
68.3
78.8 (+0.5)
74.3
Yes
-
56.7
48.1
51.8 (+3.4)
61.9
Yes
-

Country Overview Data

France's infrastructure procurement processes rank among the best in the world. In combination with strong financial markets and a regulatory framework that supports the creation of new businesses, this promotes competition among providers and helps bring better value for money and higher quality outcomes from investment. However, sluggish GDP growth, poor tax incentives, growing public debt and the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic may hinder France's ability to fund future infrastructure expenditure.
GDP per capita

45,188 USD

Population

65.4 million persons

Infrastructure quality

89.7 (0-100 best)

Infrastructure investment

2.6% of GDP

Infrastructure gap

0.0% of GDP

GDP

2,707 USD billion

GDP growth rate

1.2%

GDP per capita growth rate

-2.8%

Gini coefficient

32.7 (0-100 worst)

Gross Government Debt

99.0% of GDP

Inflation rate

1.2%

Summary credit rating

92.0 (0-100 best)

Unemployment rate

9.1%

Urbanisation ratio

80.0% of total population

Road connectivity

96.6 (0-100 best)

Quality of road infrastructure

5.4 (1-7 best)

Efficiency of train services

5.0 (1-7 best)

Efficiency of air transport services

5.5 (1-7 best)

Efficiency of seaport services

5.2 (1-7 best)

Electricity access

100.0% of population

Electricity supply quality

7.1% of output lost

Exposure to unsafe drinking water

0.5% of population

Reliability of water supply

6.5 (1-7 best)

Digital Adoption Index

0.8 (0-1 best)

Mobile-broadband subscriptions

91.6 per 100 population

Fixed-broadband Internet subscriptions

44.8 per 100 population