According to the startup Stockly, compared with May 2025, sales of fans in France are reportedly up 196%, while air conditioner sales have increased by 61%.
With 25% of households equipped, France still lags far behind the air-conditioning ownership rates of the United States (90%), Japan (91%), and South Korea (86%).
Southern European countries have been forced to adapt more rapidly: 35% of Portuguese households have air conditioning, compared with 48% in Spain and 50% in Italy.
Summary table of household air-conditioning ownership rates:
| United States | ~90 % |
| Japan | ~90 % |
| South Korea | ~86 % |
| China | ~65 % |
| Italy | ~50 % |
| Spain | ~48 % |
| Brazil | ~30 % |
| North Africa (Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco) | 25 à 35 % |
| France | ~25 % |
| Colombia | 15 à 18 % |
| Venezuela | 15 à 18 % |
| Indonesia | ~15 % |
| India | ~10 % à 14 % |
| Germany | < 5 % |
| United Kingdom | < 5 % |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | < 2 % |
While around 2.2 billion cooling units are currently in operation worldwide, according to the IEA’s 2018 study The Future of Cooling, the global stock is expected to reach 5.6 billion units by 2050.
According to the IEA, this would be equivalent to installing 10 new air conditioners every second over the next 25 years.
Sources :
The Future of Cooling – Analysis – IEA
Energy Efficiency 2025
Heatwave: These Sales Are Soaring Because of the Heat
