Before committing to a market, you want to know how it is actually doing — not how it was doing when the last consultancy report was written. This page tracks the business climate across twelve sectors of the French economy, straight from INSEE, the national statistics institute. It updates by itself.
Where the French economy stands
| Sector | Index | Year on year | Period | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 98.1 | ▲ 1.4 | August 2026 | Slightly below |
| Manufacturing | 103.2 | ▲ 5.6 | August 2026 | Above its long-run average |
| Electrical equipment & machinery | 102.6 | ▲ 5.1 | August 2026 | Above its long-run average |
| Machinery & equipment | 94.2 | ▲ 0.9 | August 2026 | Well below |
| Transport equipment | 105.7 | ▲ 1.9 | August 2026 | Well above its long-run average |
| Metals & metal products | 100.4 | ▲ 5.6 | August 2026 | Above its long-run average |
| Construction | 96.2 | ▼ 1.2 | August 2026 | Slightly below |
| Services | 99.8 | ▲ 3.4 | August 2026 | Slightly below |
| Information & communication | 96.5 | ▲ 2.1 | August 2026 | Slightly below |
| Transport & warehousing | 97.9 | = | August 2026 | Slightly below |
| Wholesale trade | 95.0 | ▼ 1.7 | two-month period 4, 2026 | Slightly below |
| Retail trade | 99.4 | ▲ 4.4 | August 2026 | Slightly below |
Source: INSEE monthly business surveys. Index base 100 = long-run average. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Data retrieved on 11/09/2026.
The index is built so that 100 is each sector’s own long-run average. Above 100, the sector is doing better than it usually does; below 100, worse. Comparing a sector to itself over time is more useful than comparing sectors to each other, since each one sits on its own scale.
What this changes for your market entry
A favourable index is not a reason to enter a market, and an unfavourable one is not a reason to stay out — the sectors that are hardest to enter are often the ones where competitors have gone quiet. What these figures do give you is a sense of timing, and the vocabulary to discuss it with a French counterpart. That conversation is part of what a shared Country Manager does for you.