France is the largest agricultural power in the European Union, accounting for one-fourth of the EU’s total agricultural production. Nevertheless, the agricultural sector only represents a very small part of the country's GDP (1.6%) and employs 2% of the population. French agricultural activities receive significant subsidies, especially from the European Union. Wheat, corn, meats and wine are France's main agricultural products.

France's manufacturing industry is highly diversified; however, the country is currently undergoing a de-industrialisation process, which has resulted in the outsourcing of many activities. Industry represents 17.1% of GDP and employs a fifth of the active workforce. The key industrial sectors in France are telecommunications, electronics, automobile, aerospace and weapons.

The tertiary sector represents 70.2% of the French GDP and employs 78% of the active workforce. France is the leading tourist destination in the world with 91 million foreign visitors in 2019, another consecutive record year after 2018. The discovery of the cultural and gastronomic heritage of France and shopping are the main activities popular with foreign tourists.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdown measures caused an unprecedented loss of activity in virtually all sectors. The most sharply impacted include tourism, automobiles, transport and aerospace, while the agri-food and pharmaceuticals sectors have been resilient.

Main Products

Source: Comtrade, Latest Available Data

Type of Production

For the resources for businesses on managing the manufacturing and the supply chain risk due to the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic, please consult the report COVID-19: Managing supply chain risk and disruption (Deloitte Canada, 2020), as well as the insights on COVID-19: How to fortify your supply chain (Kearney, 2020).
The World Economic Forum's COVID Action Platform provides useful information on the latest strategic trends regarding COVID-19 implications for businesses, including manufacturing and supply systems. The report Outbreak Readiness and Business Impact (World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute) offers insights on handling coronavirus by businesses and strategies for effective response and resilience.

In France, the sector of industry represents 17.1% of the GDP and 19.9% of total employment (World Bank). The pharmaceutical, aeronautical, and new information and communication technology (NICT) industries have an important place in the French industrial scene.