Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France

France: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 20.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
20.4%
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
21st
of 45 countries
All-time high
22.3%
in 2014
All-time low
13.6%
in 1995
Years of data
31
1995–2025

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France, 1995–2025

051015201995201020251995: 13.6 Percentage1996: 14 Percentage1997: 14.9 Percentage1998: 16.5 Percentage1999: 17.1 Percentage2000: 18 Percentage2001: 18.2 Percentage2002: 18.6 Percentage2003: 18.5 Percentage2004: 19.3 Percentage2005: 19.6 Percentage2006: 20.4 Percentage2007: 20.6 Percentage2008: 20.7 Percentage2009: 21.1 Percentage2010: 20.5 Percentage2011: 20 Percentage2012: 19.9 Percentage2013: 21.1 Percentage2014: 22.3 Percentage2015: 22 Percentage2016: 21.6 Percentage2017: 22 Percentage2018: 21.9 Percentage2019: 21.7 Percentage2020: 21.1 Percentage2021: 20.5 Percentage2022: 21.5 Percentage2023: 21.1 Percentage2024: 20.6 Percentage2025: 20.4 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

In 2025, over-qualification rates by citizenship in France stood at 20.4%.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in France peaked at 22.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 1995.

That places France 21st out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France, year by year

Annual values for Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France, 1995 to 2025.
Year Percentage Change
1995 13.6% —
1996 14.0% +2.9%
1997 14.9% +6.4%
1998 16.5% +10.7%
1999 17.1% +3.6%
2000 18.0% +5.3%
2001 18.2% +1.1%
2002 18.6% +2.2%
2003 18.5% -0.5%
2004 19.3% +4.3%
2005 19.6% +1.6%
2006 20.4% +4.1%
2007 20.6% +1.0%
2008 20.7% +0.5%
2009 21.1% +1.9%
2010 20.5% -2.8%
2011 20.0% -2.4%
2012 19.9% -0.5%
2013 21.1% +6.0%
2014 22.3% +5.7%
2015 22.0% -1.3%
2016 21.6% -1.8%
2017 22.0% +1.9%
2018 21.9% -0.5%
2019 21.7% -0.9%
2020 21.1% -2.8%
2021 20.5% -2.8%
2022 21.5% +4.9%
2023 21.1% -1.9%
2024 20.6% -2.4%
2025 20.4% -1.0%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 20.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.1%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • France's 20.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.2% 13.6% 17.1% 5
2000s 19.5% 18.0% 21.1% 10
2010s 21.3% 19.9% 22.3% 10
2020s 20.9% 20.4% 21.5% 6

Countries ranked near France

  1. 20 Italy 20.6% compare
  2. 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 20.4% compare
  3. 21 Germany 20.4% compare
  4. 24 North Macedonia 20.3% compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More reference data data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in France?
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France was 20.4% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 22.3% in 2014.
What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 13.6% in 1995.
How does France rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
France ranks 21st out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/over-qualification-rates-by-citizenship/france/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/over-qualification-rates-by-citizenship/france/">Over-qualification rates by citizenship in France</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Over-qualification rates by citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 1,261 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed