Political situation 

Since May 2017, the President of the French Republic is Emmanuel Macron. He was re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term. He appointed Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister on 9 January 2024. Within the new government, Nicole Belloubet was appointed Minister of National Education and Youth (MENJ) on 8 February 2024, while Sylvie Retailleau has been Minister of Higher Education and Research (MESR) since May 2022.

Economic situation 

According to Eurostat, France is the second largest economy in the EU-27 in terms of GDP with 2,803 billion euros (current prices - indicator [nama_10_gdp]) estimated for 2023. According to the same data, the French GDP was 2,437 billion euros in 2019, 2,149 billion euros in 2014 and 1,478 billion euros in 2000. On a per capita basis, these values are respectively 33,290 euros provisionally in 2023, 33,250 euros in 2019, 30,690 euros in 2010 and 28,930 euros in 2000 (indicator [nama_10_pc]).

In 2022, domestic expenditure on education (DEE) reached 180 billion euros, or 6.8% of national wealth (GDP). In 2017, DEE was €154.2 billion (or 6.7% of GDP - Source: DEPP, L’Etat de l’Ecole 2023).

According to Eurostat data from the Labour force survey (employment survey in France), the French active population is increasingly qualified (Figure 1, indicator [edat_lfse_9912]). Indeed, between 2000 and 2022, the proportion of individuals with low qualifications (ISCED level 0 to 2) among people aged 25-64 decreased by 21.1 percentage points (18 percentage points for men and 24 percentage points for women). At the same time, the proportion of higher education graduates (ISCED 5 to 8) among people in the same age group increased by 20 percentage points (17.3 percentage points for men and 22.7 percentage points for women). The proportion of upper secondary school graduates did not change significantly over the period.

Proportion of individuals aged 25-64 by ISCED level achieved in 2000, 2010 and 2022