France Foreign Reserves
Total reserves including gold FI.RES.TOTL.CD
France's foreign reserves was $281.0B in 2025, ranked 14th globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1960–2025.
Overview
France's foreign reserves stood at $281.0B in 2025, a decline of +$1.8B from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach $281.0B by 2025. France ranked 14th globally.
France’s foreign reserves have expanded dramatically from the 2,300,194,000.00 recorded in 1960 to a 2025 level of 281,042,129,424.71, placing the country 14th globally. The accumulation accelerated after the early 1990s, reaching an all‑time peak of 282,857,002,813.82 in 2024, a level only marginally above the latest figure. This trajectory contrasts with Italy, whose reserves stand at 294,029,340,093.31, and the United Arab Emirates, with 256,984,906,012.80, highlighting France’s position near the top of the European cohort but below the Gulf‑state outlier. The steady rise reflects persistent current‑account surpluses, prudent monetary policy, and the Eurozone’s collective reserve‑building framework. While the recent slight dip from the 2024 peak suggests a modest consolidation phase, continued fiscal discipline and a stable external balance are likely to sustain the upward trend, barring major geopolitical shocks or abrupt shifts in global capital flows.
Data & projection
| Year | Foreign Reserves | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027* trend | $303.8B | - | - |
| 2026* trend | $292.4B | - | - |
| 2025* trend | $281.0B | - | - |
| 2025 | $281.0B | −$1.8B | #14 |
| 2024 | $282.9B | +$42.1B | #12 |
| 2023 | $240.8B | −$1.6B | #14 |
| 2022 | $242.4B | −$1.9B | #13 |
| 2021 | $244.3B | +$20.0B | #14 |
| 2020 | $224.2B | +$35.2B | #14 |
| 2019 | $189.0B | +$22.5B | #14 |
| 2018 | $166.5B | +$10.2B | #16 |
| 2017 | $156.3B | +$10.5B | #15 |
| 2016 | $145.9B | +$7.7B | #15 |
| 2015 | $138.2B | −$5.8B | #17 |
| 2014 | $144.0B | −$1.2B | #16 |
| 2013 | $145.2B | −$39.4B | #17 |
| 2012 | $184.5B | +$16.0B | #14 |
| 2011 | $168.5B | +$2.6B | #16 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
France matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2019. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw foreign reserves improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
France's foreign reserves was $281.0B in 2025. Ranked 14th globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from the previous year.
France's foreign reserves peaked at $282.9B in 2024.
The lowest foreign reserves in France was $2.3B in 1960.
France ranks 14th globally in foreign reserves as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is FI.RES.TOTL.CD. Data sourced from World Bank.
France's foreign reserves is projected to reach $281.0B by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
France's foreign reserves was approximately 281.04 billion ($281.0B) in 2025.
The foreign reserves of France in 2025 was $281.0B. This ranks 14th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_france_reserves,
title = {France Foreign Reserves},
url = {https://historysaid.com/france/reserves/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}