France has a lot going for it.
It has "an enviable standard of living", according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). "Inequality is not excessive and the country has come through the [financial] crisis without suffering too heavily," it says.
And it's not just the French who like the place. Its food, fashion, landscape and the delights of Paris have an international reputation that have helped make France the world's most popular tourist destination.
But all is not well. Unemployment is high and the government's finances are weak. "France's fundamental economic problem," the OECD says, "is a lack of growth."
The latest figures for economic activity (gross domestic product or GDP) for the first quarter of the year show growth of 0.5%. That's better than was expected though it's probably best described as reasonable rather than strong. The longer term picture is more downbeat.
So what is the French economic problem?
Jobless totals
The most obvious social and economic evidence that something is amiss is unemployment.
About three million people are unemployed - 10.2% of the workforce. That compares with a figure of 4.3% across the border in Germany.
The rate in France is almost the same as the average for the eurozone. That really is nothing to be proud of when you consider that the average reflects some jobless nightmare stories such as Spain and Greece.
The French figure is also the second highest among the G7 leading developed economies.