“France is a semi-presidential republic with a prime minister, who is the head of government, appointed by the president who is the directly elected head of state. France’s territory consists of 18 administrative regions: 13 metropolitan (i.e. Continental France) and 5 overseas regions. All 5 of the overseas regions, as well as Saint-Martin (a French territory in the Caribbean), are considered part of the EU (with the status of outermost region). Strasbourg is one of the three official seats of the European institutions. The others are Brussels and Luxembourg City.”
Source: European Union. France: EU Country Profile. Last accessed March 6, 2025.
“The institutions of the French Republic are governed by the 1958 Constitution, which ushered in the Fifth Republic and strengthened the role of the executive branch (the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister) relative to the parliament.
“The President is elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term. The government, led by a Prime Minister nominated by the President, develops and guides policy implementation. The Prime Minister is accountable to parliament, which exercises legislative power and is made up of the National Assembly and the Senate.
“The National Assembly has 577 deputies elected by direct universal suffrage. Voting takes place on the basis of a single majority vote (that is, voting for one deputy only) in two rounds, within the framework of constituencies of variable size (one deputy for approximately 100 000 inhabitants). The National Assembly’s session is five years but can be shortened if the President decides to dissolve the National Assembly, which has happened five times since the inauguration of the Fifth Republic.
“The Senate consists of 348 senators who are elected for six years by indirect universal suffrage, through an electoral college consisting of elected officials in each department. Roughly half of its members are renewed every three years.”
Source: Or Z, Gandré C, Seppänen AV, Hernández-Quevedo C, Webb E, Michel M, Chevreul K. France: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2023; 25(3): i–241.
“The French Republic is comprised of mainland France1 located in Western Europe and a collection of overseas islands and territories on other continents. There are three sub-levels of governance in France: the regions (régions), the departments (départements) and the municipalities (communes). The five overseas departments and regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion) are an integral part of the French Republic and subject to the same laws and regulations, although local adjustments are possible. The other overseas collectivities and territories (French Polynesia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia, Clipperton Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands) are also part of France but have differing legal status.
“Mainland France is bordered by Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Belgium, Luxembourg, Andorra and Spain (Fig. 1.1). Its geography is varied, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges in the southwest (the Pyrenees) and the southeast (the Alps), including Mont Blanc, the highest point in Western Europe at 4810 m (15 781 ft). The climate is temperate.”
Source: Or Z, Gandré C, Seppänen AV, Hernández-Quevedo C, Webb E, Michel M, Chevreul K. France: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2023; 25(3): i–241.
French Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Health System Outcomes
Coverage and Access
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Health System Financing
Preventive Healthcare
World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.
Page last updated January 15, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.