France has finished 13th in the world and 8th in Europe in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) 2018-2022 business environment rankings. These results have seen France move up four places on the 2013-2017 rankings, ahead of the United Kingdom.
France’s attractiveness is set to continue to improve in the years to come in absolute terms but also in comparison with its main competitors. It is rare that a country near the top of the rankings, such as France, sees its situation improve so well; such a trend is usually only observed in emerging countries.
France's score is expected to increase in eight of the ranking’s ten categories, with the exception of market opportunities and infrastructure, which should remain stable. In its results, the EIU has highlighted the supportive political environment, the reforms in favor of foreign investment, namely in the labor market, and the reduction of the corporate tax rate, particularly for SMEs.