Annual

Data collection is by post every year. Questionnaires are sent out during March.

An early batch is sent out in February to enterprises finalising their accounts before the end of October.

The survey covers Metropolitan France.

In the overseas departments, the information is collected through a specific system of annual surveys of enterprises.

Legal unit

This survey is exhaustive for large enterprises (annual turnover above 38 million euros or with at least 20 employees in general).

In all, about 63,000 enterprises are surveyed.

The sample is designed to allow estimates at the national level. Small enterprises are surveyed in alternate years.


Thus small enterprises (annual turnover of less than 38 million euros or with fewer than 20 employees) in the wholesale trade sector are surveyed in odd financial years, e.g. on their 2007 figures.

Small enterprises in the retail trade and in automobile trade and repair are surveyed in even financial years (e.g. 2006).