Average household wealth in France: a detailed study
Updated on 17 July 2026
The average gross wealth of households in France reached €374,900 at the start of 2024, with median net wealth at €148,100. This study breaks that down by age, socio-occupational category and wealth level, using the most recent data from Insee, France's national statistics institute, so you can see where you stand.
- Median gross wealth (half of all households) stands at €205,100, well below the average, which is pulled up by the largest fortunes.
- Between 2021 and 2024, average gross wealth rose by 18%, driven by the revaluation of property and financial assets.
- The wealthiest 10% of households hold 48% of total gross wealth, against 15% for the top 1% alone.
- The Gini index of wealth, which measures inequality, went from 0.638 in 2018 to 0.652 in 2024: wealth concentration is increasing.
- Wealth varies sharply by socio-occupational category: from €108,800 on average for an inactive person who has never worked to more than a million for a farmer or a self-employed professional.
Studying how wealth evolves and how it is distributed means understanding the social and economic forces at work in a given country. Thomas Piketty, director of studies at the EHESS, has made it his subject of choice with his book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century", which traces the evolution of wealth in France across the major periods of French history. He sets out in particular the causes and the consequences of wealth concentration and wealth erosion.
What is wealth?
Whether you want to compare yourself with others (one of Finary's many wealth features does exactly that) or to dig deeper into wealth management, we are going to walk you through the key figures on average wealth in France. To do that, we cross them with other socio-economic data: socio-occupational categories, age and more. First, a few definitions.
Wealth is the generic term used to describe what a person owns, whether that person is an individual or a legal entity. Under the theory of patrimony introduced by the celebrated French jurists Aubry and Rau, wealth is made up of all the rights that can be valued in money in which a person is engaged positively (receivables, property rights and so on) or negatively (debts).
Two things must therefore be distinguished:
- the gross wealth, meaning what a person owns before accounting for debt (what they owe)
- the net wealth, meaning what a person owns minus what they owe (debts, mortgage and so on).
Studying average wealth in France therefore means aggregating the wealth of every individual. This study looks specifically at the wealth of French households, meaning people living under the same roof. The wealth of legal entities (companies, local authorities, the State) is excluded.
If you want to know how much your own wealth adds up to, you can use wealth management software such as Finary.
What is wealth made of?
Wealth is made up of four main components:
- real-estate wealth: property for personal use (main residence and second homes) and investment property (buy-to-let)
- financial wealth: stocks, cryptocurrencies, ETFs and financial products of every kind, held directly or through a PEA (a French tax-advantaged equity savings account), a capitalisation contract, a savings passbook account or a life insurance policy
- business wealth: what a person owns in order to carry on their professional activity
- residual wealth: durable goods owned by a person, such as cars, jewellery, luxury watches, works of art and so on.
How has average gross wealth in France evolved since 1998?
Average gross wealth, measured excluding durable goods, went from €119,500 in 1998 to €255,800 in 2018. Counting all wealth (Insee's current methodology, which includes durable goods), it reached €374,900 at the start of 2024.
To ease into the subject, it is worth looking at how average wealth in France has evolved as a whole, through several indicators:
- the average gross wealth in France (excluding residual assets), meaning the sum of real-estate, financial and business wealth, before counting other durable goods (cars, works of art and so on);
- average debt of French households
- the average net wealth in France
| Indicator | 1998 | 2004 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2021* | 2024* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross wealth excluding residual assets (A = B + C + D) | 119,500 | 164,800 | 248,800 | 247,800 | 255,800 | n.a. | n.a. |
| Average financial wealth (B) | 32,200 | 32,300 | 51,700 | 56,300 | 57,300 | n.a. | n.a. |
| Average real-estate wealth (C) | 70,500 | 110,100 | 161,500 | 164,600 | 169,700 | n.a. | n.a. |
| Average business wealth (D) | 16,800 | 22,500 | 35,600 | 26,900 | 28,800 | n.a. | n.a. |
| Average private and/or business debt (E) | n.a. | n.a. | 30,000 | 33,500 | 36,500 | n.a. | n.a. |
| Average net wealth excluding residual assets (F = A - E) | n.a. | n.a. | 218,800 | 214,300 | 219,300 | n.a. | n.a. |
| Average total gross wealth* | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 317,100 | 374,900 |
| Average total net wealth* | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 274,000 | n.a. |
| Median total net wealth* | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 124,800 | 148,100 |
* Since 2021, Insee has measured total wealth (residual assets included) rather than the "excluding residual assets" figure used for the 1998-2018 waves. The two series are therefore not directly comparable; "n.a." flags a figure Insee has not recalculated on that basis for this line.
Source: Insee
Note: "current euros" means prices are expressed in real terms, that is, after correcting for inflation. This method prevents inflation, the general rise in consumer prices, from biasing the results. All the data in this study is presented in current euros.
So, in 20 years, average gross wealth in France has doubled, to €255,800. Put another way, on an equal split, every person living in mainland France would hold €255,800 of gross wealth. As we will see, that distribution is of course far from equal. This rise in average gross wealth is largely driven by the increase in average real-estate wealth. Real-estate wealth was multiplied by 2.4 between 1998 and 2018, while average financial wealth and business wealth "only" rose by 70%.
| Indicator | 1998 | Share | 2018 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross wealth excluding residual assets (A = B + C + D) | 119,500 | 100% | 255,800 | 100% |
| Average financial wealth (B) | 32,200 | 27% | 57,300 | 22% |
| Average real-estate wealth (C ) | 70,500 | 59% | 169,700 | 66% |
| Average business wealth (D) | 16,800 | 14% | 28,800 | 11% |
Source: Insee
Property has also taken a larger place in the wealth of French households, at the expense of financial and business assets: 59% in 1998, rising to 66% in 2018.
Since the 2021 wave, Insee has published the composition of wealth on a broader basis (including residual assets). On that new basis, at the start of 2024, household gross wealth is made up of 61% property, 22% financial wealth, 11% business wealth and 6% residual wealth; debt represents 13% of gross wealth.
Good to know: some people opened a PEL (a French regulated home-savings plan) when interest rates were high (above 2%). If you hold such an older PEL, its capital is protected and its contractual return stays fixed at the original rate, but that rate remains limited. For everyone else, you will need something else to invest €20,000 (or whatever you have saved)! How gross wealth in France has evolved, by decile
So far we have been talking about average wealth in France. Beyond giving an order of magnitude and tracking its evolution, that figure says nothing about wealth disparities in France.
That is why the distribution of wealth by decile is preferred. This statistical method splits the French population into 10 distinct groups containing equal numbers of people. Each decile is bounded by a threshold value below which every lower decile group sits.
Note: the population can also be split into percentiles, that is, 100 distinct shares, which is ideal for bringing out the highest levels of wealth.
Gross and net wealth deciles (2015-2024)
| Decile | Gross 2015 | Gross 2018 | Gross 2021 | Gross 2024 | Net 2015 | Net 2018 | Net 2021 | Net 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st decile (D1) | 4,600 | 4,000 | 4,400 | 6,200 | 3,100 | 2,700 | 3,000 | 4,600 |
| 2nd decile (D2) | 13,600 | 11,500 | 13,400 | 16,500 | 10,600 | 9,300 | 10,400 | 13,200 |
| 3rd decile (D3) | 34,200 | 31,200 | 33,200 | 40,100 | 28,000 | 24,300 | 26,500 | 34,100 |
| 4th decile (D4) | 93,900 | 98,000 | 106,200 | 112,100 | 64,700 | 62,500 | 67,100 | 77,900 |
| Median (D5) | 159,500 | 166,100 | 177,200 | 205,100 | 114,600 | 119,600 | 124,800 | 148,100 |
| 6th decile (D6) | 218,900 | 225,500 | 246,100 | 283,200 | 172,800 | 181,100 | 192,100 | 224,200 |
| 7th decile (D7) | 286,100 | 297,500 | 328,400 | 381,800 | 243,500 | 255,000 | 274,700 | 317,400 |
| 8th decile (D8) | 389,900 | 406,600 | 447,500 | 530,000 | 346,200 | 361,500 | 394,300 | 457,900 |
| 9th decile (D9) | 633,900 | 631,700 | 716,300 | 857,700 | 565,400 | 569,000 | 633,200 | 750,400 |
| 95th percentile (P95) | 952,700 | 924,200 | 1,034,600 | 1,268,200 | 863,500 | 831,200 | 956,100 | 1,151,500 |
| 99th percentile (P99) | 2,076,500 | 2,024,000 | 2,239,200 | 3,020,900 | 1,966,700 | 1,855,300 | 2,072,600 | 2,728,900 |
Source: Insee, Patrimoine survey 2014-2015 and Histoire de vie et Patrimoine surveys 2017-2018, 2020-2021, 2023-2024 (series in current euros, total wealth).
Here is how to read this table: at the start of 2018, 10% of mainland households held less than €600 of gross wealth excluding residual assets (D1). For that same year, 1% of mainland households held more than €1,861,800 of gross wealth excluding residual assets (C99).
Unsurprisingly, wealth in France is unevenly distributed. Cross-reading the data, average wealth of €255,800 sits in the 7th decile. In other words, around 70% of the population holds gross wealth below the national average. So if your real-estate, financial and business assets exceed €572,700, you are among the wealthiest 10% in the country in terms of holdings (before counting debt).
How gross wealth deciles changed (2018-2024)
| Gross wealth decile | 2018 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st decile (D1) | 4,000 | 6,200 | +55% |
| 2nd decile (D2) | 11,500 | 16,500 | +43% |
| 3rd decile (D3) | 31,200 | 40,100 | +29% |
| 4th decile (D4) | 98,000 | 112,100 | +14% |
| 5th decile (D5, median) | 166,100 | 205,100 | +23% |
| 6th decile (D6) | 225,500 | 283,200 | +26% |
| 7th decile (D7) | 297,500 | 381,800 | +28% |
| 8th decile (D8) | 406,600 | 530,000 | +30% |
| 9th decile (D9) | 631,700 | 857,700 | +36% |
| 95th percentile (P95) | 924,200 | 1,268,200 | +37% |
| 99th percentile (P99) | 2,024,000 | 3,020,900 | +49% |
Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine surveys 2017-2018 and 2023-2024.
Between 2018 and 2024, every decile rose, but unevenly: the 1st decile (the least wealthy 10%) rose by 55%, against 36% for the 9th decile and 49% for the 99th percentile (the wealthiest 1%). Progress is therefore not uniform: low levels of wealth close part of the gap in relative terms, but stay very small in absolute terms (€6,200 for the 1st decile, against €857,700 for the 9th decile).
Wealth concentration nonetheless remains marked: at the start of 2024, the wealthiest 10% of households hold 48% of total gross wealth, and the top 1% alone holds 15%. This shows in the Gini index, which measures how unequal a distribution is: the closer it gets to 0, the more equal the distribution of wealth is considered to be.
| Gini index | 1998* | 2004* | 2010* | 2015 | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross wealth | 0.639 | 0.640 | 0.661 | 0.645 | 0.638 | 0.645 | 0.652 |
* The 1998-2010 values are calculated on the "excluding residual assets" basis (original article); the 2015-2024 values are calculated by Insee on the total wealth basis. Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey, IF371 "Tableau complémentaire 1".
Good to know: the point is not to push any ideology, but to describe the wealth situation of French households. Want to grow your own wealth? You can read our guide: Where to invest your money. How does average wealth in France vary with age?
Average gross wealth rises with age up to the 50-59 bracket (€464,800 at the start of 2024), before easing back slightly after 60.
Age plays a decisive role in how wealth is built, through two notable effects:
- inheritance: children (forced heirs under French law) inherit their parents' wealth at an ever later age as life expectancy rises;
- the accumulation of income flows. The accumulation period is longer for older people than for young working adults, not least because of compound interest.
| Age of the household's reference person | Average gross wealth (€) | Share of real-estate wealth (%) | Share of financial wealth (%) | Share of business wealth (%) | Share of residual wealth (%) | Debt (% of gross) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 374,900 | 61 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 13 |
| Under 30 | 104,400 | 54 | 21 | 13 | 13 | 34 |
| 30 to 39 | 265,000 | 69 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 39 |
| 40 to 49 | 367,600 | 61 | 17 | 16 | 6 | 26 |
| 50 to 59 | 464,800 | 61 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 13 |
| 60 to 69 | 462,500 | 59 | 23 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
| 70 and over | 420,300 | 62 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey 2023-2024 (amounts: insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8894780; composition: Tableau complémentaire 3, IF371).
Average wealth does fall back slightly after the 50-59 bracket (€464,800), to €420,300 for people aged 70 and over. Several things can explain this. From that age, a larger share of people have to draw down their wealth to cover their spending and make up for the absence of income (or a pension that is too tight). It is also an age at which some people, often with the help of a wealth management adviser, start to plan their estate through gifts.
Detailed breakdown of wealth by age
| All households | Under 30 | 30 to 39 | 40 to 49 | 50 to 59 | 60 to 69 | 70 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross wealth (€), 2024 | 374,900 | 104,400 | 265,000 | 367,600 | 464,800 | 462,500 | 420,300 |
| Share of property (%), 2024 | 61 | 54 | 69 | 61 | 61 | 59 | 62 |
| Share of financial assets (%), 2024 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 28 |
| Share of business assets (%), 2024 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 4 |
| Share of residual assets (%), 2024 | 6 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Debt (% of gross), 2024 | 13 | 34 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 4 | 1 |
Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey 2023-2024. The item-by-item detail (main residence, savings accounts, life insurance and so on) is only available at this granularity for the 2018 wave; it was not republished in 2021 or 2024 and is therefore removed from this table to avoid mixing two different waves.
Goals
Average and median net wealth in France by age
Heavy use of mortgage debt by young working adults produces a wide gap between average gross wealth and average net wealth. Because mortgages are paid down gradually (and they are the bulk of household debt), median net wealth rises with age.
| Age of the household's reference person | Average gross wealth | Median gross wealth | Average net wealth | Median net wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 317,100 | 177,200 | 274,000 | 124,800 |
| Under 30 | 71,200 | 20,400 | 43,200 | 15,800 |
| 30 to 39 | 225,800 | 117,600 | 135,500 | 49,400 |
| 40 to 49 | 334,500 | 194,000 | 251,000 | 110,800 |
| 50 to 59 | 401,300 | 224,500 | 350,400 | 178,500 |
| 60 to 69 | 378,900 | 232,800 | 361,400 | 214,200 |
| 70 and over | 346,300 | 211,500 | 343,800 | 209,900 |
Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey 2020-2021 (most recent net figure available at this granularity).
Average wealth in France by socio-occupational category
| Socio-occupational category of the household's reference person | Average gross wealth (€) | Share of real-estate wealth (%) | Share of financial wealth (%) | Share of business wealth (%) | Share of residual wealth (%) | Debt (% of gross) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 374,900 | 61 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 13 |
| Farmer | 1,174,800 | 25 | 14 | 59 | 2 | 15 |
| Craftsperson, shopkeeper, company director | 1,020,600 | 41 | 12 | 43 | 4 | 15 |
| Self-employed professional | 1,176,800 | 53 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 20 |
| Manager or professional | 603,700 | 68 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 22 |
| Intermediate occupation | 292,100 | 70 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 25 |
| Clerical or service employee | 158,600 | 67 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 21 |
| Manual worker | 137,900 | 65 | 17 | 5 | 13 | 21 |
| Retired former farmer, craftsperson, shopkeeper or company director | 586,200 | 53 | 27 | 14 | 6 | 2 |
| Retired former manager or self-employed professional | 818,600 | 63 | 29 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Retired former other employee | 258,200 | 67 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| Other inactive person who has never worked | 108,800 | 63 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey 2023-2024, Insee Focus no. 371 (amounts: Figure 3c; composition: Tableau complémentaire 3). From this wave onwards, Insee no longer distinguishes "skilled" from "unskilled" manual workers (a single "Manual worker" category).
The socio-occupational categories (CSP in French) with the largest wealth are self-employed professionals and farmers, with very close averages (€1,176,800 and €1,174,800 respectively at the start of 2024). For farmers, this comes from owning their land and farm equipment, which accounts on average for 59% of their gross wealth.
For self-employed professionals, high earnings lead to substantial wealth accumulation. So, contrary to a widespread belief, salaried company managers are not the group with the largest gross wealth, despite easier access to bank borrowing.
Average and median net wealth in France by socio-occupational category
| Socio-occupational category of the household's reference person | Average gross wealth | Median gross wealth | Average net wealth | Median net wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 317,100 | 177,200 | 274,000 | 124,800 |
| Farmer | 1,374,000 | 730,800 | 1,237,000 | 589,100 |
| Craftsperson, shopkeeper, company director | 728,300 | 333,000 | 610,200 | 257,000 |
| Self-employed professional | 875,200 | 609,700 | 693,200 | 413,600 |
| Manager or professional | 512,300 | 368,200 | 403,400 | 247,000 |
| Intermediate occupation | 254,100 | 195,400 | 188,600 | 109,000 |
| Clerical or service employee | 138,300 | 36,200 | 101,700 | 30,000 |
| Manual worker (skilled and unskilled) | 129,500 | 41,700 | 97,400 | 27,500 |
| Retired former farmer, craftsperson, shopkeeper or company director | 487,700 | 281,400 | 478,700 | 279,700 |
| Retired former manager or self-employed prof. | 629,600 | 425,300 | 621,500 | 422,600 |
| Retired former other employee | 220,300 | 152,400 | 216,100 | 149,200 |
| Other inactive person who has never worked | 70,500 | 5,000 | 66,600 | 4,800 |
Source: Insee, Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey 2020-2021 (most recent net figure available at this granularity).
Average wealth in France by decile
As with the evolution of wealth, sorting the population by decile is a useful way to understand how wealth is composed at each level.
| Gross wealth decile | Average gross wealth (€) | Share of real-estate wealth (%) | Share of financial wealth (%) | Share of business wealth (%) | Share of residual wealth (%) | Debt (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 276,000 | 61.2 | 20.4 | 10.6 | 7.8 | 13.1 |
| Below the 1st decile | 1,800 | 0.0 | 29.2 | 0.2 | 70.6 | 38.1 |
| Between the 1st and 2nd deciles | 7,200 | 0.8 | 33.6 | 0.9 | 64.7 | 27.6 |
| Between the 2nd and 3rd deciles | 19,200 | 3.2 | 42.1 | 1.1 | 53.6 | 34.6 |
| Between the 3rd and 4th deciles | 58,800 | 33.4 | 39.6 | 2.5 | 24.6 | 13.1 |
| Between the 4th and 5th deciles | 131,700 | 71.0 | 16.6 | 2.4 | 10.0 | 20.5 |
| Between the 5th and 6th deciles | 192,400 | 76.8 | 12.6 | 2.5 | 8.2 | 20.8 |
| Between the 6th and 7th deciles | 253,600 | 76.7 | 12.8 | 1.9 | 8.6 | 19.7 |
| Between the 7th and 8th deciles | 335,900 | 73.3 | 15.9 | 3.4 | 7.4 | 14.0 |
| Between the 8th and 9th deciles | 480,000 | 70.4 | 17.6 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 11.9 |
| Between the 9th decile and the 95th percentile | 724,900 | 64.8 | 17.9 | 11.7 | 5.5 | 10.8 |
| Between the 95th and 99th percentiles | 1,215,000 | 58.6 | 20.6 | 15.4 | 5.4 | 11.6 |
| Above the 99th percentile | 4,300,000 | 30.3 | 33.9 | 28.1 | 7.7 | 6.3 |
Source: Insee 2018
The wealth of the poorest 30% is essentially made up of residual assets (cars, jewellery and so on). Between the 4th decile and the 99th percentile, property is the largest component of wealth. From the 99th percentile (the wealthiest 1%), the split between financial, business and real-estate wealth becomes more even.
This is partly explained by heavier use of private equity investments, made directly or through French unlisted funds such as FCPR vehicles, and by the heavy taxation of real-estate wealth under the IFI, France's wealth tax on property.
Average and median net wealth in France by decile
| Gross wealth decile | Average gross wealth | Median gross wealth | Average net wealth | Median net wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 276,000 | 163,100 | 239,900 | 117,000 |
| Below the 1st decile | 1,800 | 1,700 | 1,100 | 1,500 |
| Between the 1st and 2nd deciles | 7,200 | 7,000 | 5,200 | 6,100 |
| Between the 2nd and 3rd deciles | 19,200 | 18,600 | 12,600 | 16,600 |
| Between the 3rd and 4th deciles | 58,800 | 54,800 | 51,100 | 48,200 |
| Between the 4th and 5th deciles | 131,700 | 134,800 | 104,600 | 113,800 |
| Between the 5th and 6th deciles | 192,400 | 193,600 | 152,300 | 172,000 |
| Between the 6th and 7th deciles | 253,600 | 253,600 | 203,700 | 229,200 |
| Between the 7th and 8th deciles | 335,900 | 334,400 | 288,700 | 307,200 |
| Between the 8th and 9th deciles | 480,000 | 469,200 | 422,900 | 434,300 |
| Between the 9th decile and the 95th percentile | 724,900 | 723,200 | 646,800 | 661,700 |
| Between the 95th and 99th percentiles | 1,215,000 | 1,142,000 | 1,074,000 | 1,026,000 |
| Above the 99th percentile | 4,300,000 | 2,895,000 | 4,031,000 | 2,725,000 |
Source: Insee 2018
Average wealth in France by place of residence
Average gross wealth in France also varies with the type of area people live in. The largest average holdings are concentrated mainly in rural municipalities, the capital and the large French urban areas. The distribution nonetheless stays relatively even.
| Size of the urban unit of residence | Average gross wealth (€) | Share of real-estate wealth (%) | Share of financial wealth (%) | Share of business wealth (%) | Share of residual wealth (%) | Debt (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 276,000 | 61.2 | 20.4 | 10.6 | 7.8 | 13.1 |
| Rural municipality | 312,300 | 58.4 | 17.0 | 17.2 | 7.5 | 14.5 |
| Urban unit of 2,000 to under 20,000 inhabitants | 262,300 | 63.6 | 17.7 | 10.1 | 8.6 | 13.8 |
| Urban unit of 20,000 to under 100,000 inhabitants | 225,400 | 62.1 | 20.2 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 13.7 |
| Urban unit of 100,000 to under 200,000 inhabitants | 227,300 | 58.7 | 23.5 | 9.2 | 8.7 | 11.6 |
| Urban unit of more than 200,000 inhabitants (excluding Paris) | 242,700 | 62.1 | 20.6 | 10.4 | 6.9 | 12.9 |
| Paris urban unit | 361,100 | 62.0 | 25.4 | 4.7 | 7.9 | 11.0 |
Most recent data available on this axis: start of 2018. Insee has not published a breakdown of wealth by urban unit size in the 2021 or 2024 waves of the Histoire de vie et Patrimoine survey.
Average and median net wealth in France by place of residence
| Size of the urban unit of residence | Average gross wealth | Median gross wealth | Average net wealth | Median net wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 276,000 | 163,100 | 239,900 | 117,000 |
| Rural municipality | 312,300 | 217,900 | 267,000 | 174,200 |
| Urban unit of 2,000 to under 20,000 inhabitants | 262,300 | 179,300 | 226,100 | 130,300 |
| Urban unit of 20,000 to under 100,000 inhabitants | 225,400 | 146,600 | 194,600 | 105,000 |
| Urban unit of 100,000 to under 200,000 inhabitants | 227,300 | 96,800 | 200,900 | 68,200 |
| Urban unit of more than 200,000 inhabitants (excluding Paris) | 242,700 | 98,500 | 211,300 | 63,300 |
| Paris urban unit | 361,100 | 124,400 | 321,500 | 84,200 |
Source: Insee 2018
Average wealth in France by household composition
As we have seen, wealth is measured at household level. Inevitably, the amount rises with the number of working people in the household. It is also clear that children weigh on household wealth, since they are an additional cost that eats into income, the essential ingredient of wealth formation.
| Household type | Average gross wealth (€) | Share of real-estate wealth (%) | Share of financial wealth (%) | Share of business wealth (%) | Share of residual wealth (%) | Debt (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 276,000 | 61.2 | 20.4 | 10.6 | 7.8 | 13.1 |
| Single person | 159,900 | 59.1 | 24.1 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8.4 |
| Single-parent family | 154,300 | 51.2 | 23.4 | 17.5 | 8.0 | 14.5 |
| Couple without children | 387,000 | 62.9 | 22.4 | 6.6 | 8.0 | 6.8 |
| Couple with children | 366,800 | 62.5 | 15.7 | 14.7 | 7.0 | 22.3 |
| Other household type | 227,900 | 55.0 | 18.7 | 13.8 | 12.5 | 8.8 |
Source: Insee
Average and median net wealth in France by household composition
| Household type | Average gross wealth | Median gross wealth | Average net wealth | Median net wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 276,000 | 163,100 | 239,900 | 117,000 |
| Single person | 159,900 | 59,200 | 146,500 | 44,800 |
| Single-parent family | 154,300 | 20,100 | 131,900 | 16,000 |
| Couple without children | 387,000 | 264,600 | 360,800 | 239,100 |
| Couple with children | 366,800 | 243,500 | 285,000 | 157,400 |
| Other household type | 227,900 | 73,800 | 207,900 | 56,700 |
Most recent data available on this axis: start of 2018. Insee has not published a breakdown of wealth by household composition in the 2021 or 2024 waves.
What strategy can grow your wealth?
That is a broad question. Through its many dedicated guides, Finary aims to give you the answers and the tools to structure your wealth better. In any case, one approach to growing your wealth is to pick investments suited to your profile, whether through property or through investing in the stock market, depending on your risk profile.
You will also need to be careful about the taxation specific to each investment and above all about the fees charged by the various financial intermediaries. On fees, alongside a simple and intuitive wealth tracking platform, Finary automatically analyses the fees on your different investments. A tool to keep track of what your investments cost you.
Frequently asked questions
What level of wealth makes you rich in France?
From €3,020,900 of gross wealth, you are part of the wealthiest 1% of households in France. The threshold to join the wealthiest 10% is €857,700 at the start of 2024.
What is the median wealth in France?
At the start of 2024, median gross wealth of French households was €205,100, and median net wealth €148,100 once debts are deducted. Half of all households therefore hold less than these amounts.
How do you calculate your wealth?
To calculate your wealth, list all your real-estate, financial, business and residual assets, then subtract your debts to obtain net wealth. A tracking platform such as Finary automates that calculation and updates it in real time.
Has wealth in France risen since 2018?
Yes. Average gross wealth went from €255,800 in 2018 (excluding durable goods) to €374,900 at the start of 2024 counting all wealth, driven mainly by the revaluation of property and financial assets.
What is the difference between gross wealth and net wealth?
Gross wealth is the total value of the assets held (real-estate, financial, business, residual), before accounting for debts. Net wealth deducts outstanding loans, mortgages in particular, which explains the wide gap for young households that are still in debt.
Sources
Insee Focus no. 371, "Household wealth amounts in 2024"
Insee Résultats, "Household wealth and debt in 2024 and in long series"
Insee, "Distribution of household wealth"
Insee, "Household gross wealth amounts"
Insee Références, "Household wealth", start of 2021 fact sheet
Insee Références, "Household wealth by urban unit size", start of 2018
Regulatory disclaimers: Marketing communication. Investing carries a risk of partial or total capital loss. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. This article is provided for information and educational purposes only; it does not constitute personalised investment advice, a buy or sell recommendation, or tax advice. Before investing, read the Key Information Document (KID) and, where relevant, consult an authorised adviser. Finary SAS, an investment firm authorised by the ACPR (no. 19283), member of AMAFI. Insurance broker registered with ORIAS (no. 21001279), member of the CNCGP (association approved by the AMF). Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP, "PSCA" in French) authorised by the AMF under the MiCA regime, references no. A2026-026 and no. N2026-008.
