Trends in France for achieving the Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals (SDG)

SDG9 – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Share of collective transport in passenger transport (excluding air)
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+1.3 points from 2019 to 2024

17.3% of passenger-km
Favourable
Chart data: Share of collective transport in passenger transport (excluding air)
Year Value
2019 16,00
2020 12,20
2021 13,40
2022 15,40
2023 16,60
2024 17,30

Public transport (rail and road) accounted for 15.9% of domestic land passenger transport in 2024. Total domestic passenger transport amounted to 1,047 billion passenger-kilometres in 2024, with private cars accounting for 82%. Rail transport represented 12% of domestic passenger transport, while road-based public transport accounted for 5%. Public transport continued its recovery in 2024, increasing by 5.0% and surpassing its 2019 level by 3.6%. The recovery in urban public transport was stronger outside the Paris region (+8.9%) than within it (+5.9%). Rail passenger transport reached a record level in 2024, 14.5% higher than its 2019 level.


Greenhouse gaz emissions*** per unit of value added
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-17.8% from 2018 to 2023

108.4 t CO₂ eq./million USD
Favourable
Chart data: Greenhouse gaz emissions*** per unit of value added
Year Value
2018 131,90
2019 126,50
2020 123,70
2021 124,30
2022 117,60
2023 108,40

*** source : European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC-EDGAR)

According to the Citepa SECTEN 2026 report (2), over the period 1990-2024, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions excluding land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) in France decreased by almost one third (32.9%), according to Citepa data. The draft Third National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC 3), submitted for public consultation in December 2025, sets out a target for France to halve its territorial emissions (excluding LULUCF) by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. To meet this target, GHG emissions will need to decline by around 5% per year until 2030, requiring a significant acceleration compared with the pace of reduction achieved in recent years. National GHG emissions decreased by 2.1% in 2025, 3.0% in 2024 and 6.8% in 2023 (SECTEN 2026 report). In 2023, the reduction in GHG emissions was particularly significant, notably due to the return to operation of several nuclear power plants, which increased low-carbon electricity generation.


Government budget appropriations or outlays for R&D
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+16.2% from 2020 to 2025

18,647.2 million euros
Favourable
Chart data: Government budget appropriations or outlays for R&D
Year Value
2020 16 044,80
2021 16 257,90
2022 16 745,70
2023 18 265,70
2024 18 924,30
2025 18 647,20

In 2025, the Inter-Ministerial Mission for Research and Higher Education (MIRES) mobilised €16.7 billion in budget appropriations for research, a 2.4% decrease versus 2024. Within a single budgetary framework, MIRES consolidates the majority of State funding for the knowledge economy, including its production, dissemination and transmission. Additional, non-MIRES budget appropriations amounted to €1.9 billion.


Share of road transport in freight transport
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+1.0 point from 2019 to 2024

88.8% of tonne-km
Moderately unfavourable
Chart data: Share of road transport in freight transport
Year Value
2019 87,80
2020 88,30
2021 87,30
2022 87,60
2023 89,10
2024 88,80

Land freight transport recovered in 2024 (+3.7% versus -4.0% in 2023), reaching 344 billion tonne-kilometres. Activity increased particularly in rail freight transport (+7.4%), but also in road transport (+3.4%) and inland waterway transport (+2.1%). All categories of goods contributed to the increase in activity, with the exception of construction materials. Modal shares remained stable over the year, with 89% of freight transported by road, 9% by rail and 2% by inland waterway.


Approval rate for credit applications from very small businesses (VSEs) (as a percentage of businesses obtaining cash-flow loans – at 75% or more)
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-2.3 points from 2019 to 2024

68.7%
Moderately unfavourable
Chart data: Approval rate for credit applications from very small businesses (VSEs) (as a percentage of businesses obtaining cash-flow loans – at 75% or more)
Year Value
2019 71,00
2020 87,00
2021 79,00
2022 76,80
2023 65,80
2024 68,70

According to the Banque de France, demand for credit among very small enterprises (VSEs) has been declining for more than ten years, both for investment loans and cash-flow loans. 2020, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, was an exceptional year, with a temporary rebound in demand for cash-flow credit from VSEs (a rebound that was not sustained thereafter) and an even sharper decline in demand for investment credit (which fell below 10% and remained there well beyond that year). The loan approval rate increased, however, in line with the easing of interest rates on corporate lending observed in 2025 (2): 95.5% of VSEs that applied for an investment loan obtained it in full or for at least 75% of the amount requested, versus 81.3% for cash-flow loans.


Research intensity
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-0.01 point from 2019 to 2024***

2.18% of GDP
Unfavourable
Chart data: Research intensity
Year Value
2019 2,19
2020 2,28
2021 2,22
2022 2,22
2023 2,18
2024 2,18

Note: estimated 2024 data

According to the 19th edition of The State of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in France, gross domestic expenditure on research and experimental development (GERD) amounted to €61.5 billion in 2023. Compared with 2022, GERD decreased in volume by 0.5%, reflecting a decline in both business expenditure (-0.5%) and government expenditure (-0.4%). In 2024, GERD was expected to increase by 1.3% in volume terms, driven by growth in R&D expenditure in both the private and public sectors (+1.3% and +1.4% respectively).


Research personnel (full-time equivalent)
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single value in 2023

513,230 FTE
Not assessable
Chart data: Research personnel (full-time equivalent)
Year Value
2023 513 230,00

According to the 19th edition of The State of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in France, 678,500 people were involved in research and development (R&D) activities in 2023, corresponding to 513,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. Of these FTE positions, 69% were researchers and 31% were research support staff. Six out of ten researchers worked in the business sector, four in the public sector. Within the EU-27, France ranked second in terms of the number of full-time equivalent researchers, with 356,400 researcher FTEs, behind Germany (500,200 FTEs). Researchers accounted for 69% of research personnel, on a full-time-equivalent basis.


Source: INSEE, Dashboard of national indicators for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals – published May 2026. Statistics processed by SDES (ministerial Statistical Data and Studies Department) - Only available in French. (Insee, Tableau de bord des indicateurs pour le suivi national des objectifs de développement durable - paru en mai 2026. Traitements SDES)

*Change: since the latest available value, change over a period of 5 years (longer or shorter depending on data availability).

**Latest value: value corresponding to the last year of the trend graph.

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