DEFINITIONFIG. 2.1
Government spending: a 34-point gap between IMF and World Bank
Why this gap?
The IMF reports total general government expenditure — including social transfers, pensions, interest and investment — which reaches 57% of French GDP. The World Bank series measures only government consumption (wages and goods the state uses directly, about 23%): both are correct answers to two different questions.
METHODOLOGYFIG. 2.2
2022 inflation: 5.2% or 5.9%, depending on the index
Why this gap?
The World Bank follows France's national consumer price index, while the IMF uses the EU-harmonised index (HICP), which weights the basket differently — notably healthcare and housing costs. In the 2022 energy spike, the harmonised method printed 0.7 points higher; neither measure is wrong, they track different baskets.