The Sector That Outbuilds Airbus
French construction generates over three times the revenue of the aerospace industry. What the numbers show.
The French aerospace industry is a national champion. It generated just over €77 billion in 2024, a key contributor to exports and employment, and to regional development from Toulouse to Bordeaux.
One industry gets far less attention in the national press, but generates over three times the revenue: construction. The French building federation (the Fédération Française du Bâtiment) reported that revenue in French building construction was €208 billion in 2024.
The separate federation for public works construction, the Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics, reported 2024 output at €51.3 billion. Even allowing for overlap between the two federations’ figures, it’s clear that French construction is a primary contributor to France’s economy.
While federation figures cover construction industry revenue, Insee’s national accounts measure from the investment side: at €291.7 billion, investment in construction represented 11% of French GDP in 2024.
French construction investment returned to growth from the second quarter of 2025, ending two years of contraction. Entering 2026 with a carry-over growth rate of +0.7%, the sector’s recovery has been led by private households and commercial investment, supported by a strong pipeline of permits and starts.
Public investment in construction was lower going into 2026, but that was to be expected given municipal elections in March this year. And Insee’s survey of public works contractors in April this year confirmed continued caution in the public works sector.
France's aerospace industry will always attract the headlines. But for those tracking where capital actually moves in the French economy, construction is the larger story, and it entered 2026 in a positive direction.