France vs United Kingdom: Population
France
66.44 million people
in 2023
United Kingdom
68.68 million people
in 2023
France rank
23rd
United Kingdom rank
21st
Population over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 68.68 million people against 66.44 million people in France, a difference of 2.24 million people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was United Kingdom ahead.
France ranks 23rd and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, France averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 43.91 million people | 51.10 million people | 7.19 million people | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 48.46 million people | 54.11 million people | 5.64 million people | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 52.45 million people | 56.10 million people | 3.65 million people | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 55.32 million people | 56.61 million people | 1.30 million people | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 58.06 million people | 58.09 million people | 25,000 people | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 61.36 million people | 60.56 million people | 803,300 people | France |
| 2010s | 64.68 million people | 65.12 million people | 439,820 people | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 66.18 million people | 67.97 million people | 1.79 million people | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, France or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 68.68 million people against 66.44 million people in France as of 2023.
- What is the difference in population between France and United Kingdom?
- 2.24 million people, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for population?
- France ranks 23rd and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.