---
title: "France vs United Kingdom — area, population, currency"
description: "France is 643,801 km² with 68,720,337 people; United Kingdom is 243,610 km² with 69,487,000. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-united-kingdom/
site: "At One Place"
---

# France vs United Kingdom

**France vs United Kingdom: France is larger; United Kingdom has more people**

643,801 km² vs 243,610 km² · 68,720,337 vs 69,487,000

France is 2.6 times larger than United Kingdom — 643,801 against 243,610 km². United Kingdom is slightly more populous, by 1.1% — 69,487,000 against 68,720,337 people.

## Side by side

|  | France | United Kingdom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Paris | London |
| Area | 643,801 km² | 243,610 km² |
| Population | 68,720,337 (2025) | 69,487,000 (2025) |
| Density | 106.7 /km² | 285.2 /km² |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | British pound (GBP) |
| Official languages | French | English |
| Time zones | UTC+01:00 | UTC+00:00 |
| Calling code | +33 | +44 |
| Drives on the | right | left |
| Continent | Europe | Europe |
| ISO codes | FR / FRA | GB / GBR |

## Population density

United Kingdom is 2.7 times more densely populated than France — 285 against 107 people per km². Density is where area and population interact, and it often reverses the impression the headline figures give — a large country with a small population can feel emptier than a small crowded one by an enormous margin.

## Practical differences

- They drive on opposite sides — France on the right, United Kingdom on the left.
- Different currencies: the Euro and the British pound.

## France

Mont Blanc on the Italian border is 4,806 m, the highest point in western Europe. Counting its overseas departments, France spans twelve time zones — more than any other country — and its exclusive economic zone is the second largest in the world. The Gouffre Mirolda and other Alpine systems make it one of the great caving countries.

## United Kingdom

Made up of Great Britain, the north-east of Ireland and around 6,000 smaller islands. No point in the UK is more than about 113 km from the sea. Ben Nevis, the highest point, is 1,345 m, which is modest — but the country has around 31,000 km of coastline once every inlet is counted.

> Neutral facts only. Nothing here addresses politics, government, economics or which country is preferable in any respect — population is the one figure that dates, and it carries its year.

## Common questions

### Is France bigger than United Kingdom?

France is larger — 643,801 km² against 243,610 km².

### Which has more people, France or United Kingdom?

United Kingdom, with 69,487,000 against 68,720,337.

### What is the time difference between France and United Kingdom?

France is UTC+01:00 and United Kingdom is UTC+00:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

- [France](https://atoneplace.net/country/france/)
- [United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country/united-kingdom/)
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- [Australia vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-france/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]