Germany and France
European integration, industry and cross-border cooperation connect the two countries. The Élysée and Aachen treaties provide their own bilateral institutions. Everyday issues involving workers, students and cross-border services coexist with differences over European priorities or specific programmes.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07From the Élysée to Aachen
The 1963 Élysée Treaty established a specific framework for reconciliation and cooperation.
Two markets and industrial chains
The merchandise trade in the table comes from Destatis, with Germany as reporter, in millions of euros and for the full year 2025.
Ministerial follow-up in July 2026
The Brühl meeting and subsequent communication place cross-border cooperation on the current agenda.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 186,407.7 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Goods: Germany to France | 117,416.06 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Goods: France to Germany | 68,991.64 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Germany to France | ||
| Export share: France to Germany | ||
| Investment stock: Germany in France | ||
| Investment stock: France in Germany |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
- Goods: Germany to France
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
- Goods: France to Germany
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 5.05 trillion USD2025 · WB | 3.37 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 60,496.44 USD2025 · WB | 48,985.73 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 0.24 %2025 · WB | 0.84 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE |
| Inflation · annual average | 2.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 0.94 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3.3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Destatis | 3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Insee |
| Unemployment | 3.71 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 7.54 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -2.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -5.1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 62.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 116 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 4.51 %2025 · WB | -0.27 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 83,491,2492025 · WB | 68,720,3372025 · WB |
| Area | 357,680 km²2023 · WB | 606,410 km²2023 · BM / FAO |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDGermany: 2025 · World BankFrance: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personGermany: 2025 · World BankFrance: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Germany: 2025 · World BankFrance: 2025 · World Bank
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Germany: 2026-09-16 · ECB: deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central BankFrance: 2026-09-16 · ECB deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Germany: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World BankFrance: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World Bank
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedGermany: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Destatis · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.France: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Insee · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionGermany: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.France: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.France: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.France: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPGermany: 2025 · World BankFrance: 2025 · World Bank
- Population
- PeopleGermany: 2025 · World BankFrance: 2025 · World Bank
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceGermany: 2023 · Area according to the series' coverage; does not determine sovereignty or effective control · World BankFrance: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; territorial coverage as defined by the source · World Bank · FAO
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Germany to France
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
France to Germany
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Workers, students and cross-border service users demonstrate everyday integration distinct from high-level meetings. [3]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Germany living in France | ||
| Residents from France living in Germany | ||
| Study and training: Germany in France | ||
| Study and training: France in Germany | ||
| Academic stays: Germany in France | ||
| Academic stays: France in Germany | ||
| Travel: Germany to France | ||
| Travel: France to Germany |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
From the Élysée to Aachen
The 1963 Élysée Treaty established a specific framework for reconciliation and cooperation. The Aachen Treaty, signed in January 2019 and implemented from 2020, deepened that relationship. Bilateral meetings and projects also take place within the European Union. Franco-German cooperation has its own institutions, but does not replace decisions involving other member states or turn every proposal by the two governments into European policy. [1] [2]
Two markets and industrial chains
The merchandise trade in the table comes from Destatis, with Germany as reporter, in millions of euros and for the full year 2025. The industrial relationship combines cross-border sales and business activities in both markets. Bilateral agreements provide a political framework, while single-market rules facilitate economic connections. The customs figure does not measure services or affiliate production, nor does it by itself identify each sector's role. [1]
The border raises specific practical issues
Aachen includes cross-border cooperation as a specific dimension. For people living, studying or working near the border, recognition of administrative procedures, transport and access to services matter, not just presidential meetings. Local institutions participate in these solutions. Cooperation therefore has a territorial scale distinct from diplomacy: a healthcare decision can affect citizens without immediately changing aggregate trade. [2]
Workers, students and healthcare
The ministerial communication of July 2026 describes cross-border actions and priorities related to everyday life, including workers, students and health. These are areas where a legal border can persist within an integrated market. The existence of an initiative does not demonstrate that every problem is resolved. The content identifies the issues being addressed and the bodies that need to coordinate. [3]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Ministerial follow-up in July 2026
The Brühl meeting and subsequent communication place cross-border cooperation on the current agenda. This involves project follow-up and coordination, distinct from the entry into force of the underlying treaties. The article retains both levels: long-standing institutions and recent actions addressing specific needs. That separation helps explain the relationship without reducing it to a score or the latest disagreement between leaders. [3]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 186,407.7 million EUR. Shipments from Germany to France were 117,416.06 million EUR, and those in the opposite direction were 68,991.64 million EUR. A single reporter is used for both directions. The difference between those flows describes that source's goods balance, not the entire economic balance: services, affiliate activity and investment have independent measures. [4]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Franco-German political and economic relations
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Institutional source · Document: 2026-03-24 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Aachen Treaty
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Cross-border cooperation: July 2026
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Institutional source · Document: 2026-07-17 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- 51000-02 exports / 51000-03 imports; C Jan–Dec 2025; thousand EUR divided by 1000
Destatis · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07