The Economics of French and France

• French is the foreign language spoken by our largest trading partner (Canada).

• The province of Quebec alone is the fifth largest trading partner of the United States with over $104 billion in trade in 2000.

• In 2000, the United States exported more to countries having French as a national language than to countries having any other foreign language. Exports to Canada alone in that year were greater than the combined exports to all countries south of the United States.

• In 1994 the United States did business and trade with the following countries in order of importance: 1. French-speaking countries; 2. Japan; 3. Spanish-speaking countries.

• Between 1995 and 2001 exports from the US to France increased by 57%; imports from France went up 72%.

• The U.S. and France share many trade similarities, particularly their global standing as the world's top 2 exporters in 3 very important sectors: defense products, agricultural goods, and services. Franco-American trade is also remarkable for its symmetry, as 6 of the top 10 exports are the same each way.

• France has the fourth largest economy in the world after the U.S., Japan and Germany.

• France is the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world after the U.S.

• In recent years, the U.S. has been the largest direct investor in France and France has been one of the three largest investors in the U.S.

• French companies employ approximately 650,000 Americans. Among foreign countries doing business in the US, France employs the third largest number of Americans.

• French is one of the languages spoken in the US: 1.9 million Americans speak French in the home. (2000 US Census)

• France is the fourth largest destination of foreign investments in the world.

• Overall, the French export more per capita than the Japanese and more than twice as much as the Americans. France is overall, the fourth largest exporting nation of the world.

• France is the world's leader in the production of luxury goods.

• More tourists visit France than any other country in the world.

• France has rated higher than the United States on the United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) in recent years (1997-99). Canada has been ranked higher in each of these years. The HDI measures the overall achievements in a country in life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted income.

• France gives more foreign aid to developing nations than does the US.

© 2002 Richard Shryock
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