Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in France

France: Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita was 77.0% in 2007. ▲ Rising

Latest (2007)
77.0%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
7th
of 44 countries
All-time high
77.0%
in 2007
All-time low
21.4%
in 1856
Years of data
53
1856–2007

Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in France, 1856–2007

20406080185619312007

Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2007, share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in France stood at 77.0%. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in France peaked at 77.0% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 21.4%, in 1856.

That places France 7th out of 44 countries with data for 2007, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.

Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in France, year by year

Annual values for Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in France, 1856 to 2007.
Year % Change
1856 21.4%
1866 22.8% +6.5%
1886 27.3% +19.7%
1896 26.6% -2.6%
1901 29.2% +9.8%
1906 28.1% -3.8%
1911 25.9% -7.8%
1921 29.1% +12.4%
1926 28.9% -0.7%
1931 31.1% +7.6%
1936 33.9% +9.0%
1946 34.3% +1.2%
1954 38.2% +11.4%
1962 41.9% +9.7%
1968 43.9% +4.8%
1970 50.5% +15.0%
1971 51.2% +1.4%
1972 52.0% +1.6%
1973 52.7% +1.3%
1974 53.5% +1.5%
1975 54.7% +2.2%
1976 55.8% +2.0%
1977 56.8% +1.8%
1978 57.8% +1.8%
1979 58.7% +1.6%
1980 59.3% +1.0%
1981 60.5% +2.0%
1982 61.4% +1.5%
1983 62.4% +1.6%
1984 63.7% +2.1%
1985 64.6% +1.4%
1986 65.3% +1.1%
1987 66.3% +1.5%
1988 67.1% +1.2%
1989 67.6% +0.7%
1990 68.1% +0.7%
1991 68.8% +1.0%
1992 69.8% +1.5%
1993 71.0% +1.7%
1994 71.9% +1.3%
1995 72.3% +0.6%
1996 72.9% +0.8%
1997 73.4% +0.7%
1998 73.9% +0.7%
1999 74.5% +0.8%
2000 74.9% +0.5%
2001 75.1% +0.3%
2002 75.5% +0.5%
2003 75.9% +0.5%
2004 76.3% +0.5%
2005 76.5% +0.3%
2006 76.7% +0.3%
2007 77.0% +0.4%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 77.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 72.1%, 1.1× the median. (17 countries reporting)
  • France's 77.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 74.5%, 1.0× the median. (10 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 21.4% 21.4% 21.4% 1
1860s 22.8% 22.8% 22.8% 1
1880s 27.3% 27.3% 27.3% 1
1890s 26.6% 26.6% 26.6% 1
1900s 28.6% 28.1% 29.2% 2
1910s 25.9% 25.9% 25.9% 1
1920s 29.0% 28.9% 29.1% 2
1930s 32.5% 31.1% 33.9% 2
1940s 34.3% 34.3% 34.3% 1
1950s 38.2% 38.2% 38.2% 1
1960s 42.9% 41.9% 43.9% 2
1970s 54.4% 50.5% 58.7% 10
1980s 63.8% 59.3% 67.6% 10
1990s 71.7% 68.1% 74.5% 10
2000s 76.0% 74.9% 77.0% 8

Countries ranked near France

  1. 4 United Kingdom 79.1% compare
  2. 5 Belgium 78.6% compare
  3. 6 Denmark 78.4% compare
  4. 8 Argentina 72.9% compare
  5. 9 Japan 72.7% compare
  6. 10 Sweden 72.1% compare

See the full ranking of 44 places →

More work & labour data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in France?
Share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in France was 77.0% in 2007, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 77.0% in 2007.
What is the lowest share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 21.4% in 1856.
How does France rank for share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita?
France ranks 7th out of 44 countries with data for 2007.
Is share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in France. Statizoid, drawing on Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/gdp-vs-services-employment/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
44 places, 2,481 data points, 1801–2015
Last refreshed

The vertical axis shows historical estimates of the employment share in the service sector. The horizontal axis shows GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.