France at 46%: Highest Tax-to-GDP in Europe as Growth Hits 0.8%
October 30, 2026 · Frisian News
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
France's tax-to-GDP ratio rose to 46 percent in 2025, the highest in Europe, as the economy grew only 0.8 percent. OECD preliminary data for 2024 already placed France second globally at 43.5 percent, well above the 34.1 percent OECD average.
France's tax-to-GDP ratio climbed to 46 percent in 2025, according to figures reported by Le Figaro and cited by rmx.news, reclaiming the top position among European nations after Denmark held the top spot the previous year.
The jump from 43.5 percent in 2024 to 46 percent came as the French economy grew by just 0.8 percent, down from just over 1 percent in 2024, according to rmx.news. The European average for the same measure stands at 40.7 percent, per rmx.news citing Le Figaro.
Denmark, which held the top spot in 2024, saw its ratio fall to 45.1 percent in 2025 as its economy grew by 2.9 percent, according to rmx.news. OECD Revenue Statistics 2025 preliminary data, ranked by StatRanker, had already placed France at 43.5 percent of GDP for 2024, second behind Denmark at 45.2 percent and one tenth of a point ahead of Austria at 43.4 percent. The OECD unweighted average stood at 34.1 percent; the United States collected 25.6 percent across all levels of government, according to CountryTaxCalc citing the same OECD source.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure offered the government's position when he said that taxes on fuels "do not keep him from sleeping," according to rmx.news. National Rally presidential candidate Marine Le Pen responded on X on October 28: "Know this, Mr. Lescure, that they keep millions of workers, entrepreneurs, retirees, and families from sleeping and even from living. Your disdain is unbearable."
The burden on French workers sits well above the OECD norm by a second measure. OECD Taxing Wages 2026, compiled by CountryTaxCalc, places France's tax wedge at 47.2 percent of total labour costs in 2025 for an average single worker. Of every 100 euros an employer spends on a French employee, 47.20 goes to the state before the worker sees a cent. The OECD average is 35.1 percent, and only five other member countries exceed the 45 percent mark: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.
CEIC Data tracking French government accounts shows a consolidated fiscal deficit of 5.0 percent of GDP as of June 2026, with national government debt above 4.1 trillion US dollars. A possible ratings downgrade and the costs of recent riots add to the pressure on public finances, according to rmx.news.
Published October 30, 2026 · Frisian News