Most France-Paraguay comparisons found online rely on traveler impressions or generalities copied from one blog to the next. Here is the numbers-only version: 38 indicators pulled directly from the World Bank's World Development Indicators database, updated July 1, 2026, with the exact year for each data point (they are not all from the same year : the World Bank publishes at the pace each country reports its statistics). The goal isn't to declare a «winner», but to replace clichés with verifiable figures : economy, safety, health, education, financial inclusion, foreign trade, environment, and demographics.
In short: what the numbers show
Key takeaways
- •Paraguay's GDP per capita (PPP) is about 3.4 times lower than France's ($18,524 vs $62,557), which explains much of the low cost of living perceived by travelers and expats
- •The homicide rate is 5 times higher in Paraguay (6.8 per 100,000 vs 1.3 in France), a figure that needs geographic nuance rather than generalization
- •Paraguay has proportionally more doctors than France (3.89 vs 3.28 per 1,000 people) but 5 times fewer hospital beds and 10 times lower health spending per capita
- •Unemployment is lower in Paraguay (4.8% vs 7.5% in France), a figure to read alongside massive informality in the Paraguayan labor market (36% vulnerable employment vs 8.5% in France)
- •France is a net immigration country (+91,737 in 2025) while Paraguay remains a net emigration country (-12,423)
- •Counter-intuitive: Paraguay has higher forest cover than France (38.5% vs 32.5% of territory) and a per-capita carbon footprint 3.5 times lower (1.16 t CO2/capita vs 4.0 t)
- •Only 61% of Paraguayans over 15 have a bank account or mobile money account, vs 99% of French people: a key point for anyone preparing to bank locally
Standard of living: GDP, inflation, unemployment
Average income explains much of what travelers and expats feel when arriving in Paraguay: low prices for euro-denominated purchasing power, but also an overall poorer domestic market. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP), which neutralizes price differences between countries to compare real living standards, puts Paraguay at $18,524 vs $62,557 for France.
| Economy and employment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| GDP per capita (PPP, international $) | 18,524 | 62,557 | 2024 |
| GDP per capita (current $) | 7,027 | 48,986 | 2025 |
| GNI per capita, Atlas method (current $) | 6,750 | 48,630 | 2025 |
| Inflation (consumer prices, annual %) | 4.04% | 0.94% | 2025 |
| Unemployment (% of labor force, ILO estimate) | 4.8% | 7.5% | 2025 |
| Gini index (income inequality) | 44.2 | 31.8 | 2024 / 2023 |
Lower unemployment in Paraguay isn't a sign of a healthier labor market: per the ILO, informal employment represents about 65% of non-agricultural employment there (detailed on the Paraguay's economy page), against a largely formalized French labor market. Vulnerable employment (self-employed or family workers without social protection, per ILO's definition) reaches 36.1% in Paraguay vs 8.5% in France in 2025. The Gini index, measuring income inequality on a scale from 0 (perfect equality) to 100, confirms a markedly more unequal Paraguayan society than the French one.
Education and financial inclusion
| Education and banking access | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| Adult literacy rate (15+) | 94.9% | n/a | 2024 |
| Secondary school enrollment (gross rate) | 79.1% | 103.8% | 2024 |
| Tertiary school enrollment (gross rate) | 37.6% | 71.5% | 2010 / 2024 |
| Bank account or mobile money ownership (15+) | 60.9% | 99.2% | 2024 |
A secondary enrollment rate above 100% in France is explained by how the «gross rate» is calculated (it includes repeaters and out-of-age-range students), not by coverage exceeding the total population. The real signal here lies elsewhere: Paraguay's tertiary education figure dates from 2010 (the World Bank has no more recent update), so the comparison with France's 71.5% in 2024 should be read cautiously : the real gap is likely smaller today. The most solid figure for an expat is banking access: only 6 in 10 Paraguayans have an account, against nearly all French people, which in practice means more daily cash payments and a less automated banking system than in France.
Foreign trade, investment, and international tourism
| Economic openness | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) | 37.2% | 33.4% | 2025 |
| Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) | 39.3% | 33.8% | 2025 |
| Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) | 2.45% | 1.65% | 2024 |
| International tourism receipts (current $) | $104M | $35,958M | 2020 |
Relative to the size of its economy, Paraguay is more open to foreign trade than France (exports plus imports represent about 76% of GDP, vs 67% for France) and attracts relatively more foreign direct investment. International tourism, however, remains marginal: $104 million in receipts in 2020 vs nearly $36 billion for France that same year : a gap that shows just how far off the global tourism map Paraguay remains, pandemic year or not.
Safety: what the homicide rate really says
Paraguay's intentional homicide rate is about 5 times higher than France's. That's a real gap, but a national average masks huge disparities: violence is very unevenly spread between higher-risk urban areas (parts of Ciudad del Este, border zones linked to drug trafficking) and the rest of the territory, where day-to-day safety is much better than the national average suggests. For comparison, this rate remains far below several regional neighbors (Brazil, parts of Venezuela).
For concrete precautions (areas to avoid, common scams, common-sense habits), see the scams and safety on the ground page.
Health: doctors, hospital beds, spending
| Health | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| Doctors (per 1,000 people) | 3.89 | 3.28 | 2022 |
| Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) | 1.04 | 5.65 | 2022 |
| Health spending per capita (current $) | 527 | 5,327 | 2023 / 2024 |
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | 74.0 | 83.0 | 2024 |
| Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births) | 14.5 | 3.4 | 2024 |
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000 live births) | 58 | 7 | 2023 |
| Safely managed drinking water access (% pop.) | 64.4% | 99.7% | 2024 |
| Safely managed sanitation access (% pop.) | 58.5% | 90.0% | 2024 |
The most counter-intuitive figure in the table: Paraguay has proportionally more doctors than France. But that density says nothing about distribution (heavily concentrated in Asunción) or resources : 5 times fewer hospital beds and health spending per capita about 10 times lower than France. The gap in life expectancy (9 years) and infant mortality (4 times higher) mostly reflects that lack of resources rather than the number of practitioners. The gaps in safely managed drinking water and sanitation access (35 and 32 percentage points) confirm a wider infrastructure divide outside major cities : worth checking concretely before settling in a rural area. Practical details (insurance, pharmacies, recommended hospitals) on the health on the ground page.
Connectivity: mobile ahead, fixed-line far behind
| Connectivity | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| Internet users (% of population) | 81.6% | 88.7% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) | 126.6 | 116.7 | 2023 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) | 12.9 | 48.9 | 2023 / 2024 |
| Access to electricity (% of population) | 99.8% | 100% | 2023 |
Paraguay actually has more mobile subscriptions per 100 people than France (several SIM cards per person, separate work and personal use) : but fixed broadband access (fiber, DSL) remains almost 4 times less widespread than in France. In practice for an expat: mobile 4G/5G is reliable in urban areas, home fiber is far less common than in France, especially outside Asunción. Details and plan tips on the connectivity on the ground page.
Environment: forest, CO2, energy
| Environment and energy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| Air pollution, PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15.3 | 8.2 | 2023 |
| Forest area (% of land) | 38.5% | 32.5% | 2023 |
| CO2 emissions per capita (t CO2/capita) | 1.16 | 4.00 | 2024 |
| Renewable electricity output (% of total) | ~100% | 22.8% | 2012 / 2021 |
| Electricity consumption (kWh/capita) | 2,389 | 6,447 | 2023 / 2024 |
Two figures stand out here. First, Paraguay's national forest cover is higher than France's (38.5% vs 32.5%) : this doesn't contradict the very real deforestation in the eastern region driven by soy (documented on the Paraguay's economy page), but shows that at the whole-country scale, the forested Chaco more than compensates. Second, thanks to nearly 100% hydroelectric power (Itaipú, Yacyretá), Paraguay's per-capita carbon footprint is 3.5 times lower than France's, despite equally complete electrification. Paraguay's «renewable electricity» figure dates from 2012 in the World Bank database (no more recent update available), but the share remains structurally close to 100% given the country's reliance on hydropower.
Demographics and migration
| Population and migration | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Paraguay | France | Year |
| Total population | 7,013,078 | 68,720,337 | 2025 |
| Population growth (annual %) | 1.20% | 0.25% | 2025 |
| Fertility rate (births per woman) | 2.42 | 1.61 | 2024 |
| Urban population (% of total) | 70.4% | 78.8% | 2025 |
| Rural population (% of total) | 29.6% | 21.2% | 2025 |
| Net migration (people) | -12,423 | +91,737 | 2025 |
Paraguay is growing nearly 5 times faster than France in annual population growth, driven by a fertility rate still above the replacement threshold (2.42 births per woman, vs 1.61 in France, below the 2.1 threshold). On migration, the gap is stark and consistent with this site's whole subject: France is a net immigration country (+91,737 in 2025), Paraguay a net emigration country (-12,423). That partly explains why so few French people know the country firsthand : the historical migration flows run the other way.
What these numbers don't tell you
Last updated:
Sources
- World Bank : GDP per capita, PPP (2026)
- World Bank : Inflation, consumer prices (2026)
- World Bank : Unemployment (ILO estimate) (2026)
- World Bank : Gini index (2026)
- World Bank : Intentional homicides (2026)
- World Bank : Health spending per capita (2026)
- World Bank : Internet users (2026)
- World Bank : Net migration (2026)
- World Bank : PM2.5 pollution (2026)
- World Bank : Forest area (2026)
- World Bank : CO2 emissions per capita (2026)
- World Bank : Renewable electricity (2026)
- World Bank : Fertility rate (2026)
- World Bank : Secondary and tertiary enrollment (2026)
- World Bank : Bank account ownership (2026)
- World Bank : Exports and imports (% of GDP) (2026)
- World Bank : Foreign direct investment (2026)
- World Bank : Drinking water and sanitation access (2026)
- World Bank : Vulnerable employment (2026)
My method
This page is written from France, sourced as carefully as possible, but I can be wrong or miss on-the-ground detail. A price that changed, outdated info, a photo to share? Every correction is credited if you want.
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