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Facts & figures

The French TOP 50 Vacations in France Miscellaneous figures Americans abroad American foreign policy

This page contains Facts and Figures about France and the French. Some are significant, other less so....Click here for : Foreign population Science Strikes Europe Americans abroad French abroad Good life American foreign policy

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The most popular French personalities		Vacation in France
(as voted by the French: IFOP Survey July 2008) : 1 - Yannick Noah, Tennisman and singer (N°2 in 2006 & 2007, N°1 in 2005, N°4 in 2004, N°7 in 2003) 2 - Dany Boon, Comedian, whose movie, Bienvenue chez le Ch'tis, is the most successful French movie ever 3 - Zinedine Zidane, World Champion (Soccer) (N°1 in 2006 & 2007, N°2 in 2005, N°1 in 2003, 2004, N°4 in 2001 & 2002) (still best loved pesronnality, in spite of his shameful behavior in the World Cup) 4 - Nicolas Hulot, TV Producer (N°3 in 2006 & 2007, N°8 in 2005, N°7 in 2004, N°3 in 2003) 5- Mimy Mathy, actor (N°4 in 2006 & 2007) 6 - Soeur Emmanuelle, the French Mother Theresa (N°6 in 2007, N°8 in 2006, N°12 in 2005, N°5 in 2004, N°8 in 2001 & 6 in 2002 & 2003) 7 - Charles Aznavour, Singer (N°7 in 2006 & 2007, N°6 in 2005, N°11 in 2004) 8 - Francis Cabrel, Singer (N°20 in 2007) 9 - Jean Reno, Comedian (N°6 in 2007) 10 - Renaud singer (N°12 in 2007, N°13 in 2006) Others, who have been on the Top-10 recently, include : Michel SArdou, Johnny Hallyday, Henri Salvador, Francis Cabrel, Florent Pagny, singers, Jamel Debbouze, Franck Dubosc, Jean Paul Belmondo, Sophie Marceau, Gad Elmaleh, Michel Serrault, Actors , David Douillet, Olympic champion, Simone Veil, Politician, Thierry Henry, foot-ball player, etc... Abbé Pierre, Priest, devoted his life to the poor (N°1 in 2001, 2002 & 2003) ; he died in 2007, aged 95, he was always #1 ! (in 2004, he asked to be removed from the list) Click here for French historical heroes and here for mini-bios. DID YOU KNOW THAT....? Of course, this sort of hit-parade ("Most loved people") always give an advantage to people who are seen on TV, singers and movie actors. But it is interesting to see how diverse the French society is, and how varied are their origins : Algerian (Zidane, Debbouze), African (Noah), Moroccan Jewish (Elmaleh) , Armenian (Aznavour), Jewish (Veil) , Italian (Reno) , Guyanese (Salvador) , Carribean (Henry, Pagny) or the group they belong to : a nun (Emmanuelle), a very small person (Mathy).		Vacations : The French have an impressive number of vacation days. The legal minimum for all employees is 5 weeks a year but very often it can go as high as 8 weeks or more (particularly due to the effect of the 35-hour-a-week law). Days-off for (almost) everybody : In addition to vacations, the French have 11 days of holidays ("jours fériés") a year ; most companies are closed and public services (museums, etc..) are minimal . Most, if not all, shops are closed on these days : January 1 ("Nouvel An"): traditionally New Year's Eve is a (big) dinner among friends or an evening at the theater. Easter ("Pâques"): Easter Sunday : there is no Easter Bunny (the concept is unknown) but the bells, which have been silent since Holy Friday, drop chocolate eggs in the gardens on their way back from Rome ; Easter Monday is off. May 1 ("Fête du Travail") : you offer lilies of the valley to everyone around you ; they are sold on every street corner ; there is a big parade of the Workers Unions between Place de la République and Place de la Nation. In Europe, May 1 commemorates the Haymarket upheaval. May 8 : ("Armistice") : end of WWII Ascension (40 days after Easter) is always on a Thursday and this makes it possible to enjoy one of those famous "ponts" (bridges) : if you take Friday off, you get a 4-day vacation with that one single work day. Pentecôte is a Monday (50 days after Easter) : when it is in May, it contributes (with the French Open) to make the month of May absolutely delicious with more days of vacation than days of work if the "ponts" situation is favorable. Read about its suppression in 2005. Bastille Day ("Quatorze Juillet") : there is a big military parade on the Champs Elysées and (the night before) balls in many firehouses. August 15 ("Assomption de la Vierge") : if you're lucky, it can give you a nice "pont" : the years when "ponts" are not possible because those vacation days happen to be on Sundays or Saturdays, people almost go on strike... November 1 ("Toussaint") : traditionally, you bring flowers (chrysanthemums) to the graves of your beloved. November 11 ("Armistice") : end of WW1 ; a big celebration, with military parades. Christmas ("Noël") : on Christmas Eve (the24th), there is a huge dinner, with the family, with the traditional courses, the gifts are placed in front of the Christmas tree ; sometimes people attend a Mass at midnight ; the next day (25th) is off and there is also a big lunch with the family. Children gat their gifts in the morning (or on Christmas Eve). The deadest day of the year (i.e. the most delicious for tourists in Paris) is August 15 ; the saddest day is November 1. Halloween is relatively popular in France but it is not a holiday (and not really a tradition)... The Ramadan is largely celebrated by the Muslim community as well as Yom Kippour by the Jewish community but they are not holidays (and the dates changes every year). Read Paris Diary about vacation.
Miscellaneous figures...		DID YOU KNOW THAT... ? The concept of "ponts" (bridges) is very important in France : if one of the above-mentioned holidays falls on a Thursday or a Tuesday, you can get a 4-day week-end by taking only one day off. The French call this a "bridge". For example, in May 2003, the total number of working days was 19 and it could go down to only 16 with the "ponts" ! On the contrary, 2005 will be considered a disastrous year, with several holidays taking place on Sundays (May 1 and 8), Monday (August 15) or Friday (November 11) !
The Public sector employs more than 6 million people (23% of the total work-force) : 2,2 million in the State administration : Education (from kindergarden to university), Army, Postal service, etc... 1,5 million in the staff of local authorities of all kinds 0,9 million in hospitals and public retirement homes 0,5 million in various state-owned organisations (research : CNRS, unemployment : ANPE, etc...) almost 1 million in state-owned companies and utilities (train : SNCF, electricity : EDF, telephone : France Telecom, mass transit : RATP, etc...) French exports are not based on cheese ! The real figures are very different from the traditional image of French products. In 2002 French products exported to the USA represent over 26 billion euros including : Machines, industrial products, electronics : 37,9% Aeronautics and space : 24,5% Pharmaceutical and chemistry : 15,1% Car equipments : 4,1 % Textile, food, etc... 8,9% Wine, water, alcoholic beverages : 7% Perfumes and beauty : 2,5% However, it is a fact that in the list of the 100 biggest brands in the world, there are 51 US brands, including the first five (Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, GE and Intel), and 9 French brands, all in luxury goods : Louis Vuitton #17, Gucci #46, L'Oreal #50, Chanel #61, Danone #67, Hermes #81, Hennesy #83, Cartier #86 and Moet & Chandon #87 (source : Interbrand 2006). More about the image of France in America and about the ranking of exporting countries. Click here for facts and figures on religion Click here for a list of famous Americans who lived in France (a year or more)		USEFUL HINT.... If you are invited in a French family on Xmas Eve or New Year's Eve, do not eat and drink too much before dinner : be ready for a very long and very caloric dinner which will most probably include all the traditional courses for these circumstances, typically : Foie Gras or Oysters (or both), Game or Poultry (or both), often with Chestnut Purée, Salad, Cheeses, Chocolate Cake or Bûche (Log) de Noël ; you'll drink a sweet (Sauternes?) or dry (Muscadet?) white wine, followed by a red (Bourgogne?) and finish with champagne (as you started)....   Miscellaneous figures... Immigration : France is a country of immigration and over the years has assimilated millions of immigrants in the French melting-pot (Poles, Italians, Spaniards, etc...) ; as of today, the number of foreigners by country of origin (source : INSEE 1999) is estimated at 4.3 million of the population (7,4%) of which 30,1% are from North Africa, 9,1% from the rest of Africa, 13,3% from Portugal, 8,8% from Italy, 7,3% from Spain, 14,9% from the rest of Europe, 12,6% from Asia, 2,9% from Latin America and 0,9% from the rest of the world. Détailed figures are : (source : Le Monde, Oct.10, 2007)  Country  Period of maximum immigration  Number (not naturalized) in 1999  Belgium  1850-1900  66,000  Italy  1880-1960  206,000  Poland  1920-1930  34,000  Portugal  1960-1980  555,000  Algeria  since 1960  806,000  Morocco  since 1960  440,000  Tunisia  since 1960  190,000  Spain  1939-1970  161,000  West Africa  since 1970  283,000  Asia  since 1970  205,000 It is estimated that one Frenchman out of four has at least one of his/her grandparents in one of these successive immigration waves.
To related pages : more facts & figures, figures on Europe, etc...

To table of contents To top of the page  Back to home page	Harriet Welty Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French. Order her books : "French Toast, An American in Paris Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press, New York, 1999 "French Fried, The Culinary Capers of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001 More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming events, testimonials, etc..)
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