ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT FRANCE Economic Assessment France has the world's fifth largest economy by nominal figures

ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT FRANCE Economic Assessment France has the world's fifth largest economy by nominal figures and the ninth largest economy by PPP figures. It has the second largest economy in Europe (behind its main economic partner Germany) in nominal figures, based on the dynamic industrial structure of the French economy. OECD is headquartered in Paris, France. Economic Assessment France's economy entered the recession of the late 2000s later and left it earlier than most comparable economies, only enduring four-quarters of contraction. According to the IMF, in 2011, France is the world's 18th country by GDP per capita with $45,460 per inhabitant. Economic Assessment The French economy is diversified across all sectors. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. However, the government maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. With at least 79 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism.  Economic Assessment France has an advanced industrial economy and an efficient farm sector. Main activities include automobile manufacture, aerospace, information technology, electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and fashion. France has produced some of the continent's most influential writers and thinkers from Descartes and Pascal in the 17th century, to Rousseau and Voltaire in the 18th, Balzac, Baudelaire and Flaubert in the 19th and Sartre and Camus in the 20th.