# Germany and France compared Germany and France side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other. Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/deu-vs-fra Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates) Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation. ## Formation - Germany: 18 January 1871 — The German Empire is proclaimed - France: 10 August 843 — The Treaty of Verdun gives Charles the Bald West Francia ## Economy | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | GDP | $4.69 T | 2024 | $3.16 T | 2024 | | GDP per capita | $56,104 | 2024 | $46,103 | 2024 | | GDP growth | -0.5% | 2024 | 1.2% | 2024 | | Inflation | 2.3% | 2024 | 2.0% | 2024 | | Trade openness | 79.1% | 2024 | 68.1% | 2024 | ## Society | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population | 84 m | 2024 | 69 m | 2024 | | Life expectancy | 80.8 yrs | 2024 | 83.0 yrs | 2024 | | Urban population | 82.0% | 2024 | 78.8% | 2024 | | Fertility rate | 1.4 | 2024 | 1.6 | 2024 | ## Governance | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Voice & accountability | 84.8 | 2024 | 77.0 | 2024 | | Political stability | 68.0 | 2024 | 61.8 | 2024 | | Government effectiveness | 81.4 | 2024 | 74.7 | 2024 | | Regulatory quality | 78.5 | 2024 | 72.9 | 2024 | | Rule of law | 84.9 | 2024 | 73.8 | 2024 | | Control of corruption | 83.8 | 2024 | 72.5 | 2024 | ## Health | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Health spending | 12.3% | 2024 | 11.5% | 2024 | | Physicians | 4.53 | 2022 | 3.28 | 2022 | | Under-5 mortality | 3.7 | 2024 | 4.3 | 2024 | | Measles immunisation | 96.0% | 2024 | 95.0% | 2024 | | Safe drinking water | 99.9% | 2024 | 99.7% | 2024 | ## Education | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Education spending | 5.2% | 2022 | 5.3% | 2022 | | Primary enrolment | 102.6% | 2024 | 103.4% | 2024 | | Secondary enrolment | 100.2% | 2024 | 103.8% | 2024 | | Tertiary enrolment | 76.7% | 2024 | 71.5% | 2024 | ## Technology | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | R&D spending | 3.2% | 2023 | 2.2% | 2023 | | Researchers (per million) | 5,926 | 2023 | 5,369 | 2023 | | Internet users | 93.5% | 2024 | 88.7% | 2024 | | Mobile subscriptions | 129 | 2024 | 117 | 2023 | | High-tech exports | 18.0% | 2024 | 23.1% | 2024 | ## Geography | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Land area | 349,430 km² | 2023 | 538,950 km² | 2023 | | Forest area | 32.7% | 2023 | 32.5% | 2023 | | Agricultural land | 47.5% | 2023 | 52.5% | 2023 | | CO₂ per capita (t) | 6.9 | 2024 | 4.0 | 2024 | | Renewable energy | 17.6% | 2021 | 16.2% | 2021 | ## Resources | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Resource rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 | ## Military | Metric | Germany | Observed | France | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Military burden | 1.9% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2024 | | Defense spending | $88 B | 2024 | $65 B | 2024 | | Armed forces | 183,000 | 2020 | 304,000 | 2020 | Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/DEU.md and https://terralore.co/country/FRA.md. ## Entangled histories (3 events) Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources. - 6 Aug 1806: **Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire** — Under pressure from Napoleon, Emperor Francis II abdicated the imperial crown and dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, ending the medieval framework of German statehood after more than eight centuries. (from the Germany chronicle; sources: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor) - 1815: **Congress of Vienna and the German Confederation** — After Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna created a loose confederation of German states dominated by Austria and Prussia, leaving national unity unfulfilled. (from the Germany chronicle; sources: Germany) - 18 Jan 1871: **Proclamation of the German Empire** — Following victory in the Franco-Prussian War, the German states united as the German Empire, proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles with Wilhelm I as Emperor and Bismarck as Chancellor. (from the Germany chronicle; sources: Proclamation of the German Empire, 1871; Germany) ## Sources - World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org - Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators - Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho - Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org - R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org - ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics - Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/DEU/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/FRA/chronicle.md. Citation template: Terralore, "Germany and France compared", terralore.co/compare/deu-vs-fra, retrieved .