Companies in France - statistics & facts
The French production system is one of the most important in Europe. In 2022, the total of goods and services produced in France amounted to 2.6 trillion euros, the second largest in Europe after Germany. In 2021, the French economy was made up of more than four million companies. It's a productive power that has significantly increased since 2011 thanks to the emergence of a new type of organization, the micro-enterprise.
Women will have to take on these challenges in order to reach leadership positions in business. In 2021, women's wages were still lower than men's. The largest gap was on average among managers. In fact, in 2024, among the top 5 highest-paid CEOs in the world, only one was a woman. Pay inequalities also vary widely from country to country. In the U.S., a CEO earns 265 times the salary of an average worker.
The boom of consulting companies & micro-business
Launched in 2008 under François Fillon’s government, the formerly auto-entrepreneur and now micro-entrepeneur status was intended to facilitate the administrative and financial management of the self-employed. Thirteen years later, there were more than 4.3 million micro-enterprises. In 2020, at the other end of the work chain, there were more than 4,882 companies that employed more than 250 employees. From an industry point of view, it is in the business services sector where the most companies were being created in France. For instance, in 2023, among the total number of micro-enterprises that were created, almost one third were specialized in business services.Diversity of taxes in France
Capital taxation, payroll taxes, value-added and turnover tax, taxation of results are the direct taxes to be paid by companies in France. In 2022, the total amount direct company taxes was almost 155 billion euros. By way of comparison, the total amount of income tax paid by French companies amounted to around 112 billion euros in 2023. Some companies benefit from tax exemptions or reductions depending on their sector or turnover. In 2023, more than eight million companies in France paid VAT.Entrepreneurship in France
In 2018, more than half of the French population said they had an entrepreneurial spirit. Is it linked to a quest for personal fulfillment? For 37 percent of French entrepreneurs, this is mainly due to the inability to find paid work in a company. But the primary motivation is, above all, to face new challenges.Women will have to take on these challenges in order to reach leadership positions in business. In 2021, women's wages were still lower than men's. The largest gap was on average among managers. In fact, in 2024, among the top 5 highest-paid CEOs in the world, only one was a woman. Pay inequalities also vary widely from country to country. In the U.S., a CEO earns 265 times the salary of an average worker.
