France
France
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Select first some countries to compare, choose the charts you wish to display and customise them.
Attainment
In France, the share of 25-34 year-olds who attained a master's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (25.8 %, rank 5/36 , 2024) Download Indicator
Attainment by field of education
The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of educaton is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (4.7 %, rank 27/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of humanities (except languages), social sciences, journalism and information is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (6.6 %, rank 24/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
Entrance
In France, the average age of new entrants in short-cycle programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (20.2 Years, rank 34/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the average age of new entrants in doctoral programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (27.9 Years, rank 39/41 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the proportion of new female entrants in master's long first degree (LFD) programmes is relatively low. (45.2 %, rank 26/26 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the average age of new entrants in master's programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (24.1 Years, rank 36/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
Entrance by field of education and gender
Female new entrants in services bachelor’s programmes were among the smallest across countries with available data. (35 %, rank 33/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (47.5 %, rank 33/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of female among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is relatively small. (40.4 %, rank 34/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of women among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of information and communication technologies is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (14.6 %, rank 34/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
Participation in education
Enrolment in early childhood education (ISCED 0) among 3- to 5-year-olds placed France among the highest across countries. (99.8 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of three-year-olds in early childhood education in France is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (100 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of four-year-olds in early childhood and primary education in France is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (100 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
Enrolment in pre-primary education (ISCED 02) among 3- to 5-year-olds in France was among the highest internationally. (99.8 %, rank 1/46 , 2023) Download Indicator
The enrolment rate of 15–19-year-olds in post-secondary non-tertiary general programmes was among the lowest across participating countries. (0 %, rank 8/10 , 2023) Download Indicator
Among 6–14-year-olds, enrolment in lower secondary programmes in France ranked among the highest internationally. (44.3 %, rank 5/46 , 2023) Download Indicator
The average age of post-secondary non-tertiary students enrolled in vocational programmes in France is among the lowest. (26 %, rank 24/28 , 2023) Download Indicator
Students enrolled in programmes providing full completion and access to tertiary education among all students enrolled in post-secondary non-tertiary vocational programmes are proportionally more in France than in the other countries. (100 %, rank 1/22 , 2023) Download Indicator
The enrolment rate among students aged 15-19 in short-cycle tertiary programmes in France is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.4 %, rank 3/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of five-year-olds in ECEC in France is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (99.4 %, rank 5/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
Graduation
The average age of graduates from general programmes at the upper secondary level in France is comparatively low. (17.1 Years, rank 38/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education
The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (4.2 %, rank 44/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (35.8 %, rank 4/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.5 %, rank 2/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of doctoral graduates in the field of Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics in France is relatively large. (48.1 %, rank 1/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of doctoral graduates in the field of health and welfare in France is relatively small. (4.1 %, rank 41/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the percentage of post-secondary non-tertiary vocational graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively low. (1.1 %, rank 23/25 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the percentage of post-secondary non-tertiary vocational graduates in the field of health and welfare is relatively low. (11.1 %, rank 21/25 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the percentage of post-secondary non-tertiary vocational graduates in the field of services is relatively low. (5.6 %, rank 23/25 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of short-cycle tertiary vocational graduates in the field of business, administration and law is relatively high compared to other OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (4 %, rank 4/37 , 2022) Download Indicator
In France, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3 %, rank 5/44 , 2022) Download Indicator
In France, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of STEM is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3 %, rank 2/44 , 2022) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education and gender
The proportion of female tertiary graduates in education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries. (5.6 %, rank 44/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The proportion of female tertiary graduates in social sciences, business and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (37.5 %, rank 3/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the proportion of female graduates from upper secondary vocational programmes in the field health and welfare is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries. (89.2 %, rank 4/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
Fields of education
In France, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of education is relatively low. (3.2 %, rank 37/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is relatively low. (3.4 %, rank 35/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, new entrants to doctoral programmes in STEM were among the largest across countries. (52.1 %, rank 5/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of information and communication technologies is relatively small. (0.6 %, rank 29/33 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is relatively high. (31.3 %, rank 4/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of new entrants in education bachelor's programmes is comparatively smallest, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.2 %, rank 39/39 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the proportion of new entrants in Information and communication technologies bachelor's programmes is relatively low, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (3.3 %, rank 36/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of new entrants in engineering, manufacturing and construction bachelor's programmes is relatively low in France among countries with available data. (7.1 %, rank 38/39 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the proportion of new entrants in Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary bachelor's programmes is especially lowest, compared to the other countries with other data. (0.3 %, rank 37/39 , 2023) Download Indicator
Student mobility
In France, international or foreign students from Africa are highest represented among all international or foreign students, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (52.3 %, rank 2/41 , 2023) Download Indicator
Student mobility by field of education
The percentage of students enrolled in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics among all international or foreign tertiary students in France is relatively high. (13.4 %, rank 5/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
Expenditure per student
The total annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student on upper secondary vocational education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (20556 USD Equivalent, rank 5/29 , 2022) Download Indicator
Expenditure in education and national wealth
In France, expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (2.5 %, rank 1/39 , 2022) Download Indicator
In France, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (0 %, rank 4/32 , 2022) Download Indicator
Nature of expenditure
In France, the share of current expenditure on post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (89.4 %, rank 16/20 , 2022) Download Indicator
Who the teachers are
The share of women among teaching staff in pre-primary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (91.5 %, rank 36/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of women among teaching staff in post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (42.2 %, rank 18/21 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of female teachers younger than 30 in tertiary education is relatively small . (45.9 %, rank 34/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of short-cycle tertiary female teachers younger than 30 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (49.1 %, rank 16/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of bachelor's, master's and doctoral level female teachers younger than 30 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (45.4 %, rank 32/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of male teachers in pre-primary education is especially high in France. (8.5 %, rank 5/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, the share of post secondary non-tertiary education teachers under 30 is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data (10.3 %, rank 3/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of teachers aged between 30 and 49 in post secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low in France, compared to other countries with available data. (45.4 %, rank 16/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
Teachers' salaries
France had some of the highest actual salaries for junior academic staff in bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent programmes, in public institutions. (76970 USD Equivalent, rank 4/17 , 2023) Download Indicator
For other academic staff not on an academic career track, actual salaries in France were among the lowest across countries with available data. (45598 USD Equivalent, rank 9/10 , 2023) Download Indicator
Employed doctoral candidates in France received some of the highest actual salaries among the countries with available data. (37834 USD Equivalent, rank 4/5 , 2023) Download Indicator
Principals' salaries
Pre-primary 25-64 year-old school heads' salaries relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is low in France. (0.88 Ratio, rank 15/17 , 2023) Download Indicator
Primary school 25-64 year-old heads' salaries relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is low in France. (0.88 Ratio, rank 17/18 , 2023) Download Indicator
Ratio of student to teaching staff
The number of pupils per teacher in pre-primary schools is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (21.7 Ratio, rank 2/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff in short-cycle tertiary programmes is comparatively low in France. (9.3 Ratio, rank 16/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the vocational upper secondary level is especially low in France. (7.9 Ratio, rank 27/30 , 2023) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the lower secondary level in private institutions is especially high in France. (16.9 Ratio, rank 4/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
Organisation of the education system
In France, the intended instruction time for lower secondary students (in hours per year) is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1189 Hours, rank 3/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
In France, total intended instruction time for lower secondary students is among the longest compared to other countries with available data. (4754 Hours, rank 4/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
Classes in in private primary institutions are comparatively large in France. (25 Students, rank 5/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
Classes in lower secondary private institutions are comparatively large in France. (27 Students, rank 3/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
Employment by gender and educational attainment
In France, the share of employed 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (78.2 %, rank 34/35 , 2024) Download Indicator
Employment by field of education
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (91.1 %, rank 4/27 , 2024) Download Indicator
Unemployment and educational attainment
The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (3.3 %, rank 4/14 , 2024) Download Indicator
The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the highest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (9.2 %, rank 5/33 , 2024) Download Indicator
Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is relatively high in France. (8.7 %, rank 3/10 , 2024) Download Indicator
Unemployment by gender and educational attainment
The employment rate among 25-34 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively high. (8.6 %, rank 5/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high in France. (13.2 %, rank 4/33 , 2024) Download Indicator
Inactivity and educational attainment
In France, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (2.7 %, rank 9/9 , 2024) Download Indicator
Inactivity by gender and educational attainment
In France, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (16.8 %, rank 3/35 , 2024) Download Indicator
In France, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (16.5 %, rank 5/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
Neither in education nor employed
The share of men without an upper secondary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in France is relatively high (40.5 %, rank 5/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in France is relatively high (19.9 %, rank 3/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in France is relatively high (15.9 %, rank 5/27 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in France is relatively high. (22.3 %, rank 5/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of men who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in France is relatively high. (10 %, rank 4/36 , 2024) Download Indicator
General findings
- Tertiary attainment among young adults has reached 48% on average across the OECD, the highest level ever, but progress has slowed since 2021. Attainment remains unequal, with women generally outpacing men, and older generations showing lower rates.
- Employment outcomes for tertiary-educated adults remain strong overall: 87% of them are employed compared to 60% of those without upper seconday. Tertiary education offers good protection against unemployment, but women and disadvantaged groups still face labour market gaps, and inactivity persists among some adults. Moreover, adults with tertiary education earn on average 54% more than those with only upper secondary education.
- Gender pay gaps remain significant. Despite higher attainment, women with tertiary education consistently earn less than men, even when working full-time, and this gap persists across age groups (73% on average for women aged 25 to 64).
- Fields of study strongly influence labour market outcomes. Graduates in engineering and in health and welfare fare particularly well, while women’s participation in STEM remains below parity (14% of graduates at tertiary level) despite being 58% of all tertiary graduates.
- Internationalisation continues to expand in tertiary education. The share of international students has grown steadily, and OECD countries host a large proportion of the world’s mobile students, reinforcing their global role in higher education.
- Sustaining tertiary education requires adequate investment. Spending per student is already at 21 021 USD and rising, and tertiary expenditure represents a notable share of GDP (1.4% on average in OECD), making efficiency and equity crucial for long-term sustainability.
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- Although many countries have near universal upper secondary attainment among 25–34 year-olds, on average across the OECD 13% of younger adults still lack an upper secondary qualification.
- NEET shares are now below pre-pandemic levels in about half of OECD and partner countries with trend data; in 8 of these 16 countries the decline exceeds 1 percentage point, while 17 countries exceed pre-pandemic benchmarks and 6 saw increases of more than 2 percentage points.
- Employment rates rise steadily with higher tertiary attainment: short-cycle 83%, bachelor’s 86%, master’s 90%, and doctoral or equivalent 93% among 25–64 year-olds.
- Earnings premiums also increase with qualification level: on average across the OECD, short-cycle graduates earn 17% more than those with upper secondary; the advantage is 39% for bachelor’s and 83% for master’s/doctoral graduates.
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- Most children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in early childhood education, with an average participation rate of 85% across the OECD. By contrast, only 29% of children under the age of 3 are enrolled.
- Participation in early childhood education has grown over the past decade, with enrolment for children under age 3 increasing by 9 percentage points to 29%, and enrolment for ages 3 and above rising by 5 points to 85%.
- The majority of students in vocational upper secondary education follow programmes that grant full access to tertiary education, with 76% of students enrolled in such programmes on average across the OECD.
- Completion rates for bachelor’s programmes increase after the theoretical duration of programmes: on average, 44% of students graduate on time, compared to 69% three years after.
- Students from Asia form the largest regional group of internationally mobile students in tertiary education, representing 58% of all foreign or international students across the OECD in 2023.
- Only 43% of students complete a bachelor’s degree within the expected duration, though this rises to 59% with one additional year and 70% with three additional years on average across the OECD.
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- Governments spend on average USD 12 438 per student in primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education, and USD 15 102 per student in tertiary education including R&D.
- Expenditure per student has risen in absolute terms since 2015, but its share in public budgets has declined, with government spending on education at almost 15% of total government expenditure on average in 2022.
- Annual spending per student at primary and secondary levels varies widely across OECD countries, from under USD 3 000 in some systems to over USD 25 000 in the most highly funded ones.
- Tertiary education continues to expand, placing pressure on public budgets. Private sources represent a larger share of total funding at the tertiary level than at any other level of education.
- Spending per student differs markedly between public and private institutions, with expenditure in public tertiary institutions exceeding USD 33 000 in some countries, compared to less than USD 10 000 in others.
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- Students in OECD countries receive an average of 7 604 hours of compulsory instruction during primary and lower secondary education, with total hours ranging widely across education systems.
- Compulsory instruction time averages 804 hours per year for primary students and 909 hours for lower secondary students, a difference of about 105 hours annually.
- The ratio of children to teachers in pre-primary education has fallen across most OECD countries, decreasing from an average of 15 children per teacher in 2013 to 13 in 2023.
- Teachers’ statutory salaries increase with the level of education taught. On average, teachers with 15 years of experience earn USD 55 725 at pre-primary level and USD 63 925 at upper secondary level.
- Teachers’ actual salaries are 83–91% of the earnings of similarly educated tertiary-educated workers, while school heads usually earn more than tertiary-educated workers on average across OECD countries.
- The ratio of students to academic staff is lower in public than in private institutions, averaging about 14 students per staff member in public tertiary institutions compared to 18 in private ones.
- Nearly half of OECD and partner countries operate non-selective admission systems for first degrees, providing broad access to tertiary education, while entrance exams and centralised systems are also common.
- The salaries of academic staff in tertiary education vary by seniority. On average, junior staff earn about 62 000 USD, while senior staff earn about 108 000 USD.
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All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2024 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.


