France and United Kingdom
Defence, nuclear capabilities, trade and management of mobility underpin an extensive relationship. The Lancaster House agreements and Northwood Declaration structure security cooperation. Brexit changed the institutional framework but did not eliminate joint projects or civilian contacts.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Lancaster House cooperation
The 2010 Lancaster House instruments form the background to bilateral military and technological cooperation.
Northwood does not merge nuclear forces
The July 2025 declaration states that both countries' deterrent forces are independent but can be coordinated.
Nuclear follow-up in March 2026
The British statement of March 2026 returns to nuclear policy and Franco-British cooperation.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 72,427.44 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: France to United Kingdom | 42,670.25 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: United Kingdom to France | 29,757.19 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: France to United Kingdom | ||
| Export share: United Kingdom to France | ||
| Investment stock: France in United Kingdom | ||
| Investment stock: United Kingdom in France |
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 · UN Comtrade / 826 · Goods, full year; UN Comtrade reporter 826, partner 251. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the source. No addition of mirror reports; direction adapted to the order of the profile.
- Goods: France to United Kingdom
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / 826 · Goods, full year; UN Comtrade reporter 826, partner 251. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the source. No addition of mirror reports; direction adapted to the order of the profile.
- Goods: United Kingdom to France
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / 826 · Goods, full year; UN Comtrade reporter 826, partner 251. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the source. No addition of mirror reports; direction adapted to the order of the profile.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Year-on-year inflation: different periods or frequencies; the two figures are not directly comparable.
| Indicator | France | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 3.37 trillion USD2025 · WB | 4 trillion USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP per capita | 48,985.73 USD2025 · WB | 57,601.96 USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP growth | 0.84 %2025 · WB | 1.39 %2025 · World Bank |
| Policy interest rate | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE | |
| Inflation · annual average | 0.94 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 3.88 %Annual average · 2025 · World Bank |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Insee | 3.1 %Year-on-year · 2026-08 · ONS |
| Unemployment | 7.54 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 4.75 %ILO est.2025 · World Bank |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -5.1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -5.4 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 116 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 102.3 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -0.27 %2025 · WB | -2.43 %2025 · World Bank |
| Population | 68,720,3372025 · WB | 69,487,0002025 · World Bank |
| Area | 606,410 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 243,610 km²2023 · World Bank |
| 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 USDFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)France: 2025 · World BankUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)France: 2026-09-16 · ECB deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)France: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World BankUnited Kingdom: 2025 · Average annual CPI change (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedFrance: 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.United Kingdom: 2026-08 · Headline CPI; change relative to the same month of the previous year · ONS · Headline CPI, not CPIH or core inflation.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionFrance: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.United Kingdom: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)France: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.United Kingdom: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)France: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.United Kingdom: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceFrance: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; territorial coverage as defined by the source · World Bank · FAOUnited Kingdom: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- 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.
France to United Kingdom
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
United Kingdom to France
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Security instruments describe intergovernmental cooperation; travel, study and residence require independent civilian records. [1] [2]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from France living in United Kingdom | ||
| Residents from United Kingdom living in France | ||
| Study and training: France in United Kingdom | ||
| Study and training: United Kingdom in France | ||
| Academic stays: France in United Kingdom | ||
| Academic stays: United Kingdom in France | ||
| Travel: France to United Kingdom | ||
| Travel: United Kingdom to France |
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.
Lancaster House cooperation
The 2010 Lancaster House instruments form the background to bilateral military and technological cooperation. The 2025 modernisation declaration expands defence and security priorities. There are specific projects and mechanisms, not a single programme bringing together all military assets of both countries. The framework enables collaboration between forces and industries while retaining national decisions and their own procedures. [2]
Northwood does not merge nuclear forces
The July 2025 declaration states that both countries' deterrent forces are independent but can be coordinated. It is a political declaration with follow-up mechanisms, not the creation of a single nuclear force. The distinction matters for understanding national responsibilities and coordination. Nor does it justify presenting every threat to one country as an automatic decision to use the other country's weapons. [1]
Capabilities and technological cooperation
Lancaster House 2.0 includes an agenda to modernise defence and security cooperation. Industrial activity involves research, contracts, production and maintenance on different schedules. A commitment on a capability does not establish that all equipment has been completed or delivered. The broader economic relationship also requires its own goods, services and investment data; its total scale is not estimated from military announcements. [2]
Bilateral cooperation distinct from European integration
The defence instruments documented here are bilateral and maintain a specific framework between France and the United Kingdom. Their operation does not depend on treating the United Kingdom as a current European Union member. Understanding the relationship requires distinguishing trade and mobility institutions from these security mechanisms: their parties, rules and schedules are not equivalent, although they affect the same governments and societies. [1] [2]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Nuclear follow-up in March 2026
The British statement of March 2026 returns to nuclear policy and Franco-British cooperation. It documents continuity and development of the Northwood framework. Official positions must be read as such, not as evidence of every subsequent operational decision. The profile separates underlying treaties, modernisation declarations and recent follow-up so readers can understand developments without confusing one stage with another. [3]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 72,427.44 million USD. Shipments from France to the United Kingdom were 42,670.25 million USD, and those in the opposite direction were 29,757.19 million USD. 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, subsidiary 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.
- Northwood Declaration
British and French Governments · Institutional source · Document: 2025-07-10 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Lancaster House 2.0
British and French Governments · Institutional source · Document: 2025-07-10 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Nuclear policy and bilateral cooperation
UK Government · Institutional source · Document: 2026-03-04 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- 2025 TOTAL X/M; reporter=826; partner=251; 72 returned records; France statistical code 251, not ISO numeric 250
UN Comtrade / 826 · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07