France-UK relations are long and complex.
Both were conquered by Romans and during the medieval period they were often bitter enemies
and fought many wars, even one that lasted 116 years!
In more recent times the relationship has improved with alliances in both world wars
and the Cold War.
In my opinion the relationship between France and the United Kingdom was best characterised
by a French author who described the British as our most dear enemies.
This is Alex from Lifelong Learners, I eat both pies and croissants and today, we will
objectively compare Britain and France to see which is more liveable.
The UK and France both have strong education
systems.
The elementary school PISA rankings score France above average with a rank of #27 out
of 70 countries.
The UK however comes in the top quarter with a rank of 15
Higher education rankings also place the UK in front with 32 UK universities in the top
200 second only to America.
On the other hand France has 4 in the top 200.
The tables are completely reversed when looking at the affordability of higher education.
While the cost varies greatly across the UK, especially when considering Scotland's free education,
the average cost in the UK is approx.
10,000 EUR.
This is substantially higher than universities in France, many of which have annual fees
unders 500 EURs.
So while the UK has better universities the cost of study is x20 more than in France
Interestingly, even with the higher cost, the proportion of adults with tertiary education
is higher in the UK with 42% of 25-64 year old having tertiary education compared to
34% in France
There are surprising figures when looking past education and into employment and wealth.
Both economies rank in the top ten globally but current employment levels are very different.
The UK enjoys a low unemployment rate of 4.5% compared to France with almost double digits
at 9.5%.
The average wage is essentially the same in
France and the UK with $37.3 thousand EURs in the UK compared to $37.5 thousand in France
Wages should be considered with reference to the individual income tax rate and here
there is a large gap.
The rate in France is currently 22.5% down from 45% in 2014. The UK has an individual income tax rate of 45%
Which country is it cheaper to live in?
In the past, France has consistently been the more affordable country but since 2016
the UK has had a lower cost of living with a rank of 25 compared to France's more expensive
rank of 18 out of 121 countries Health
While the UK performs strongly in education and wealth France leaps ahead when reviewing
health indications.
Both countries have lower obesity rates than the US and Australia however stats are still
poor with 28% of UK adults obese compared to 24% in France
Maternal mortality, that is the number of mothers who die per 100,000 live births is
quite low in both countries with 9 per 100,000 in the UK and 8 per 100,000 in France
Infant mortality, the number of children per 1,000 live births who die before reaching
the age of 5, is about the same in both countries with 4.2 per 1000 in the UK and 4.3 in France.
Life expectancy figures show, on average, the French live a year longer at 81.8 years
compared to the average Brit at 80.5 years Happiness
The comparison of happiness between both countries is more balanced.
Both countries are considered happy places ranking in the top 20% of countries according
to the world happiness index.
France is ranked 26 out of 141 countries and the UK is slightly higher with a rank of 19
Homelessness rates are both relatively high compared other OECD countries with the UK
at 0.25% of the population compared to 0.22% in France
Suicide rates per 100,000 people shows a wide gap with the UK at 7.5 suicides per 100,000
and France almost double this rate at 14.3 The British have less holidays
each year with 28 days of annual leave and public holidays compared to the French with
almost 2 weeks extra at 36 days of leave
Recent events in both France and Britain have
caused alarm and some to wonder which country to safer?
The Global Terrorism Index ranking indicates that both countries have experienced a high
impact of terrorism with the UK ranked 34 out of 163 countries and France slightly worse
with a rank of 29.
Both of these rankings are worse than other countries such as the US or Brazil
Homicides rates per 100,000 people are very lower in both countries, lower in Canada.
France has a rate of 0.6 per 100,000 compared to 0.2 in Britain
The incarceration rate in France is lower with 101 prisoners per 100,000 people in the
population compared to 143 in the UK The global peace index scores both countries
in a similar way with the UK ranking 41 out of 163 countries, better than the rating of
France at 51 So France, on average, has healthier people
who live longer, have more holidays and pay less tax.
The UK population pays much more for university but has better education institutions, less
homicides, less suicides and is considered a more peaceful country.
What do you love about the UK and France?
Which one do you think is more liveable?
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