2024 Edition Primary

Background

French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos -- the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Society Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The Marquesas were first settled around 200 B.C. and the Society Islands around A.D. 300. Raiatea in the Society Islands became a center for religion and culture. Exploration of the other islands emanated from Raiatea, and by 1000, there were small permanent settlements in all the island groups. Ferdinand MAGELLAN was the first European to see the islands of French Polynesia in 1520. In 1767, British explorer Samuel WALLIS was the first European to visit Tahiti, followed by French navigator Louis Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE in 1768 and British explorer James COOK in 1769. King POMARE I united Tahiti and surrounding islands into the Kingdom of Tahiti in 1788. Protestant missionaries arrived in 1797, and POMARE I’s successor converted in the 1810s, along with most Tahitians. In the 1830s, Queen POMARE IV refused to allow French Catholic missionaries to operate, leading France to declare a protectorate over Tahiti and fight the French-Tahitian War of the 1840s in an attempt to annex the islands. In 1880, King POMARE V ceded Tahiti and its possessions to France, changing its status into a colony. France then claimed the Gambier Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago and by 1901 had incorporated all five island groups into its establishments in Oceania. A Tahitian nationalist movement formed in 1940, leading France to grant French citizenship to the islanders in 1946 and change it to an overseas territory. In 1957, the islands’ name was changed to French Polynesia, and the following year, 64% of voters chose to stay part of France when they approved a new constitution. Uninhabited Mururoa Atoll was established as a French nuclear test site in 1962, and tests were conducted between 1966 and 1992 (underground beginning in 1975). France also conducted tests at Fangataufa Atoll, including its last nuclear test in 1996.France granted French Polynesia partial internal autonomy in 1977 and expanded autonomy in 1984. French Polynesia was converted into an overseas collectivity in 2003 and renamed an overseas territory in 2004. Pro-independence politicians won a surprise majority in local elections that same year, but in subsequent elections, they have been relegated to a vocal minority. In 2013, French Polynesia was relisted on the UN List of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Area

land

3,827 sq km

total

4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls; 67 are inhabited)

water

340 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Climate

tropical, but moderate

Coastline

2,525 km

Elevation

highest point

Mont Orohena 2,241 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

15 00 S, 140 00 W

Geography - note

includes five archipelagoes: four volcanic (Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) and one coral (Archipel des Tuamotu); the Tuamotu Archipelago forms the largest group of atolls in the world -- 78 in total, 48 inhabited; Makatea in the Tuamotu Archipelago is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean -- the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

12.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 6.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 5.5% (2018 est.)

forest

43.7% (2018 est.)

other

43.8% (2018 est.)

Location

Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between South America and Australia

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

occasional cyclonic storms in January

Natural resources

timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

Population distribution

the majority of the population lives in the Society Islands, one of five archipelagos that includes the most populous island - Tahiti - with approximately 70% of the nation's population

Terrain

mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Age structure

0-14 years

20.3% (male 31,659/female 30,006)

15-64 years

68.7% (male 107,162/female 101,228)

65 years and over

11% (2024 est.) (male 16,317/female 17,168)

Birth rate

13 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

NA

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

27.2% (2023 est.)

Death rate

5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

14

potential support ratio

7.1 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

45.6

youth dependency ratio

31.6

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%

Gross reproduction rate

0.87 (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male

5.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Languages

Languages

French (official) 73.5%, Tahitian 20.1%, Marquesan 2.6%, Austral languages 1.2%, Paumotu 1%, other 1.6% (2017 est.)

major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.3 years

male

76.6 years

total population

78.9 years (2024 est.)

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Major urban areas - population

136,000 PAPEETE (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

35.6 years

male

35 years

total

35.3 years (2024 est.)

Nationality

adjective

French Polynesian

noun

French Polynesian(s)

Net migration rate

-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Physician density

NA

Population

female

148,402 (2024 est.)

male

155,138

total

303,540

Population distribution

the majority of the population lives in the Society Islands, one of five archipelagos that includes the most populous island - Tahiti - with approximately 70% of the nation's population

Population growth rate

0.66% (2024 est.)

Religions

Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 97% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 3% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.95 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.05 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.79 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

62.3% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

5 administrative subdivisions (subdivisions administratives, singular - subdivision administrative): Iles Australes (Austral Islands), Iles du Vent (Windward Islands), Iles Marquises (Marquesas Islands), Iles Sous-le-Vent (Leeward Islands), Iles Tuamotu-Gambier; note - the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands together make up the Society Islands (Iles de la Societe)

Capital

etymology

the name means "water basket" and refers to the fact that the islanders originally used calabashes enclosed in baskets to fetch water at a spring in the area

geographic coordinates

17 32 S, 149 34 W

name

Papeete (located on Tahiti)

time difference

UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

amendments

French constitution amendment procedures apply

history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Country name

conventional long form

Overseas Lands of French Polynesia

conventional short form

French Polynesia

etymology

the term "Polynesia" is an 18th-century construct composed of two Greek words, "poly" (many) and "nesoi" (islands), and refers to the more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean

former

Establishments in Oceania, French Establishments in Oceania

local long form

Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynésie française

local short form

Polynesie Francaise

Dependency status

overseas country of France; note - overseas territory of France from 1946-2003; overseas collectivity of France since 2003, though it is often referred to as an overseas country due to its degree of autonomy

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas lands of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas lands of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers approved by the Assembly from a list of its members submitted by the president

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Eric SPITZ (since 23 September 2022)

elections/appointments

French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; French Polynesia president indirectly elected by Assembly of French Polynesia for a 5-year term (no term limits)

head of government

President of French Polynesia Moetai BROTHERSON (since 12 May 2023)

Flag description

two red horizontal bands encase a wide white band in a 1:2:1 ratio; centered on the white band is a disk with a blue and white wave pattern depicting the sea on the lower half and a gold and white ray pattern depicting the sun on the upper half; a Polynesian canoe rides on the wave pattern; the canoe has a crew of five represented by five stars that symbolize the five island groups; red and white are traditional Polynesian colors

note

note: identical to the red-white-red flag of Tahiti, the largest and most populous of the islands in French Polynesia, but which has no emblem in the white band; the flag of France is used for official occasions

Government - note

under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned after those of the French prime minister

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none (overseas land of France)

International organization participation

ITUC (NGOs), PIF, SPC, UPU, WMO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel (composition NA); note - appeals beyond the French Polynesia Court of Appeal are heard by the Court of Cassation (in Paris)

judge selection and term of office

judges assigned from France normally for 3 years

subordinate courts

Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif

Legal system

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Assembly of French Polynesia or Assemblée de la Polynésie française (57 seats; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Assembly of French Polynesia - percent of vote by party - People's Servant Party 66.7%; List of the People 26.3%, I Love Polynesia 5.3%, Rally of Mahoi People 1.8%; seats by party - People's Servant People 38; List of the People 15, I Love Polynesia 3, Rally of the Mahoi People 1, composition - men 29, women 28, percentage women 49.1%French Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Popular Rally 1, People's Servant Party 1; composition - NAFrench National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's Servant Party 3; composition - NA

elections

Assembly of French Polynesia - last held on 16 and 30 April 2023 (next to be held in 2028)French Senate - last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held on 30 September 2026)French National Assembly - last held in 2 rounds on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held in 2027)

note

note 1: elections held in two rounds; in the second round, 38 members are directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by a closed-list proportional representation vote; the party receiving the most votes gets an additional 19 seatsnote 2: French Polynesia indirectly elects 2 senators to the French Senate for 6-year terms with one-half the membership renewed every 3 years and directly elects 3 deputies to the French National Assembly for 5-year terms

National anthem

lyrics/music

Maeva BOUGES, Irmine TEHEI, Angele TEROROTUA, Johanna NOUVEAU, Patrick AMARU, Louis MAMATUI, and Jean-Pierre CELESTIN (the compositional group created both the lyrics and music)

name

"Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" (Long Live Tahiti Nui)

note

note: adopted 1993; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Taputapuātea

total World Heritage Sites

1 (cultural); note - excerpted from the France entry

National holiday

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790); note - the local holiday is Internal Autonomy Day, 29 June (1880)

National symbol(s)

outrigger canoe, Tahitian gardenia (Gardenia taitensis) flower; national colors: red, white

Political parties

I Love Polynesia (A here la Porinetia) List of the People (Tapura Huiraatira) People's Servant Party (Tavini Huiraatira) Rally of the Maohi People (Amuitahiraʻa o te Nunaʻa Maohi) (formerly known as Popular Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira))

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

coconuts, fruits, root vegetables, pineapples, eggs, cassava, sugarcane, tropical fruits, watermelons, tomatoes (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Current account balance

Current account balance 2014

$264.32 million (2014 est.)

Current account balance 2015

$291.182 million (2015 est.)

Current account balance 2016

$411.963 million (2016 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Economic overview

small, territorial-island tourism-based economy; large French financing; lower EU import duties; Pacific Islands Forum member; fairly resilient from COVID-19; oil-dependent infrastructure

Exchange rates

Currency

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

106.589 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

104.711 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

100.88 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

113.474 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

110.347 (2023 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$184 million (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$94.4 million (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$162 million (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

pearls, fish, aircraft parts, coconut oil, electrical power accessories (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

France 18%, US 18%, Hong Kong 18%, Japan 13%, Netherlands 9% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

21.1% (2022 est.)

government consumption

31.7% (2022 est.)

household consumption

71.5% (2022 est.)

imports of goods and services

-46.1% (2022 est.)

investment in fixed capital

21.8% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.3% (2019 est.)

industry

10.7% (2019 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

76.2% (2019 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$5.815 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports

Imports 2019

$2.24 billion (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$1.75 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$1.66 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, cars, packaged medicine, beef, plastic products (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

France 30%, China 13%, US 9%, South Korea 6%, NZ 6% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

4.3% (2014 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2014

0.3% (2014 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2015

0% (2015 est.)

Labor force

137,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2015 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$5.94 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$5.52 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$5.65 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-7.05% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

2.09% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

4.47% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2015 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$19,800 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$18,300 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$18,600 (2021 est.)

Remittances

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2020

10.04% of GDP (2020 est.)

Remittances 2021

9.46% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

10% of GDP (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

12.49% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

11.91% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

11.72% (2023 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

42% (2023 est.)

male

33.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

37.3% (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from petroleum and other liquids

929,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

929,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Coal

imports

(2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

Electricity

consumption

653.978 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

280,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

42.663 million kWh (2022 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

67.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

25.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

6.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

6,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

23 (2020 est.)

total

64,000 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

French public overseas broadcaster Reseau Outre-Mer provides 2 TV channels and 1 radio station; 1 government-owned TV station; a small number of privately owned radio stations (2019)

Internet country code

.pf

Internet users

percent of population

72.7% (2021 est.)

total

218,100 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line subscriptions nearly 36 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular density is roughly 106 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

French Polynesia has one of the most advanced telecoms infrastructures in the Pacific Islands region; the remoteness of the territory with its scattering of 130 islands and atolls has made connectivity vital for its inhabitants; the first submarine cable was deployed in 2010 and since then additional cables have been connected to the islands, vastly improving French Polynesia’s international connectivity; an additional domestic submarine cable, the Natitua Sud, will connect more remote islands by the end of 2022; French Polynesia is also a hub for satellite communications in the region; a considerable number of consumers access FttP-based services; with the first data center in French Polynesia on the cards, the quality and price of broadband services is expected to improve as content will be able to be cached locally, reducing costs for consumers; for 2022, fixed broadband subscriptions reached an estimated 22%; about 43% of the territory’s mobile connections are on 3G networks, while LTE accounts for 12%; by 2025, LTE is expected to account for more than half of all connections; it is also estimated that 77% of mobile subscribers will have smart phones by 2025 (2022)

international

country code - 689; landing points for the NATITUA, Manatua, and Honotua submarine cables to other French Polynesian Islands, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

45 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

139,000 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

107 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

328,000 (2022 est.)

Airports

54 (2024)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

F-OH

Merchant marine

by type

general cargo 14

total

24 (2023)

National air transport system

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

19 (registered in France)

number of registered air carriers

2 (2020) (registered in France)

Ports

key ports

Atuona, Baie Taiohae, Papeete, Port Rikitea, Uturoa, Vaitape

ports with oil terminals

1

small

1

total ports

6 (2024)

very small

5

Roadways

paved

1,735 km

total

2,590 km

unpaved

855 km (1999)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France; France maintains forces (about 900 troops) in French Polynesia

Military and security forces

no regular military forces

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

0.77 megatons (2016 est.)

Climate

tropical, but moderate

Environment - current issues

sea level rise; extreme weather events (cyclones, storms, and tsunamis producing floods, landslides, erosion, and reef damage); droughts; fresh water scarcity

Land use

agricultural land

12.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 6.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 5.5% (2018 est.)

forest

43.7% (2018 est.)

other

43.8% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

62.3% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

147,000 tons (2013 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

57,330 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

39% (2013 est.)