Insee Focus · July 2026 · n° 384

In 2023, the maritime economy employed nearly 375,000 workers, concentrated along the coast

In 2023, 374,600 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers were employed in the maritime economy, almost half of them worked in coastal tourism. The maritime economy accounted for 1.6% of salaried employment in France (excluding Mayotte). The workforce was concentrated in coastal departments (nine out of ten employees), due to the immediate proximity of the sea. Coastal tourism employed more young people and women, with lower wages than in the rest of the maritime economy. Excluding coastal tourism, nearly three out of four employees were men, and there were slightly more older workers. Shipbuilding and repair, and maritime and inland waterway transport, accounted for a higher proportion of managerial staff, with wages significantly higher than in the economy as a whole.