French Polynesia Facts, Map, Population, GDP

Capital

Papeete (located on Tahiti)

Population

305,507 (2025 est.)

Area

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

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

🧭 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.

🗺️ Geography

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

Geographic coordinates

15 00 S, 140 00 W

Map references

Oceania

Area — total

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

Area — land

3,827 sq km

Area — water

340 sq km

Area - comparative

Slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries — total

0 km

Coastline

2,525 km

Maritime claims — territorial sea

12 nm

Maritime claims — exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Climate

Tropical, but moderate

Terrain

Mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Elevation — highest point

Mont Orohena 2,241 m

Elevation — lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

Timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

Land use — agricultural land

8.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 7.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 0.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

43.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

48.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

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

Natural hazards

Occasional cyclonic storms in January

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

👥 People and Society⬆️ Top

Population — total

305,507 (2025 est.)

Population — male

156,084

Population — female

149,423

Nationality — noun

French Polynesian(s)

Nationality — adjective

French Polynesian

Ethnic groups

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

Languages — Languages

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

Languages — major-language sample(s)

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

Religions

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

Age structure — 0-14 years

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

Age structure — 15-64 years

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

Age structure — 65 years and over

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

Dependency ratios — total dependency ratio

46 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — youth dependency ratio

29.3 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — elderly dependency ratio

16.8 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — potential support ratio

6 (2025 est.)

Median age — total

35.8 years (2025 est.)

Median age — male

35 years

Median age — female

35.6 years

Population growth rate

0.63% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

12.7 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

Urbanization — urban population

62.3% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

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

Major urban areas - population

136,000 PAPEETE (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio — at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 15-64 years

1.06 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 65 years and over

0.95 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — total population

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

Infant mortality rate — total

4.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate — male

5.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Infant mortality rate — female

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth — total population

78.9 years (2024 est.)

Life expectancy at birth — male

76.6 years

Life expectancy at birth — female

81.3 years

Total fertility rate

1.78 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.87 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source — improved: total

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — unimproved: total

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Physician density

0.02 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Sanitation facility access — improved: total

Total: 97% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — unimproved: total

Total: 3% of population (2022 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

66.8% (2017 est.)

🌿 Environment⬆️ Top

Environmental issues

Sea-level rise; cyclones, storms, and tsunamis producing floods, landslides, erosion, and reef damage; droughts; fresh water scarcity

Climate

Tropical, but moderate

Land use — agricultural land

8.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 7.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 0.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

43.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

48.3% (2023 est.)

Urbanization — urban population

62.3% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

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

Carbon dioxide emissions — total emissions

1.01 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from petroleum and other liquids

1.01 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Waste and recycling — municipal solid waste generated annually

147,000 tons (2024 est.)

🏛️ Government⬆️ Top

Country name — conventional long form

Overseas Lands of French Polynesia

Country name — conventional short form

French Polynesia

Country name — local long form

Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynésie française

Country name — local short form

Polynésie Française

Country name — former

Establishments in Oceania, French Establishments in Oceania

Country name — 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

Government type

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

Dependency status

Overseas country of France

Capital — name

Papeete (located on Tahiti)

Capital — geographic coordinates

17 32 S, 149 34 W

Capital — time difference

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

Capital — etymology

The name derives from the Tahitian words pape (water) and ete (basket), referring to a place where people came to get water

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

Legal system

The laws of France apply

Constitution — history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Constitution — amendment process

French constitution amendment procedures apply

Citizenship

See France

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch — chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Alexander ROCHATTE (since 1 September 2025)

Executive branch — head of government

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

Executive branch — cabinet

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

Executive branch — election/appointment process

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)

Legislative branch — legislature name

Assembly of French Polynesia (Assemblée de la Polynésie française)

Legislative branch — legislative structure

Unicameral

Legislative branch — number of seats

57 (directly elected)

Legislative branch — electoral system

Proportional representation

Legislative branch — scope of elections

Full renewal

Legislative branch — term in office

5 years

Legislative branch — most recent election date

4/30/2023

Legislative branch — parties elected and seats per party

People's Servant People (38); List of the People (15); I Love Polynesia (3); Rally of the Mahoi People (1)

Legislative branch — percentage of women in chamber

49.1%

Legislative branch — expected date of next election

2028

Judicial branch — highest court(s)

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel (composition NA)

Judicial branch — judge selection and term of office

Judges assigned from France for 3 years

Judicial branch — subordinate courts

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

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))

Diplomatic representation in the US

None (overseas lands of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US — embassy

None (overseas lands of France)

International organization participation

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

Independence

None (overseas land of France)

National holiday

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

Flag

Description: two horizontal red bands flank 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 stylized red Polynesian canoe on the disk has a crew of five, represented by five stars meaning: the stars symbolize the five island groups; red and white are traditional Polynesian colors

National symbol(s)

Outrigger canoe, Tahitian gardenia flower (Gardenia taitensis)

National color(s)

Red, white

National anthem(s) — title

"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)

National anthem(s) — lyrics/music

Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle

National anthem(s) — history

Official anthem, as a French territory

National heritage — total World Heritage Sites

2 (1 cultural, 1 mixed); note - excerpted from the France entry

National heritage — selected World Heritage Site locales

Taputapuātea (c); Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands (m)

Government - note

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

💹 Economy⬆️ Top

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$6.007 billion (2024 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$5.935 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$5.892 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2023

3% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2022

4.5% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2021

2.1% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2024

$23,300 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2023

$22,800 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2022

$20,700 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$6.563 billion (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

6.4% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

0.5% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

-0.1% (2020 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — agriculture

2.2% (2020 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — industry

10.6% (2020 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — services

75.9% (2020 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — household consumption

70.4% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — government consumption

30.5% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — investment in fixed capital

21.7% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — investment in inventories

0% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — exports of goods and services

23.1% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — imports of goods and services

-45.6% (2023 est.)

Agricultural products

Coconuts, fruits, cassava, sugarcane, pineapples, eggs, tropical fruits, watermelons, tomatoes, pork (2023)

Industries

Tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates

Labor force

119,100 (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2024

11.8% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2023

11.8% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2022

11.9% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — total

36.9% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — male

33.5% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — female

41.5% (2024 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2023

9.1% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2022

10% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2021

9.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2016

$411.963 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2015

$291.182 million (2015 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2014

$264.32 million (2014 est.)

Exports — Exports 2021

$162 million (2021 est.)

Exports — Exports 2020

$94.4 million (2020 est.)

Exports — Exports 2019

$184 million (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Japan 44%, USA 15%, France 12%, Netherlands 9%, China 5% (2023)

Exports - commodities

Pearls, fish, aircraft parts, gas turbines, vanilla (2023)

Imports — Imports 2021

$1.66 billion (2021 est.)

Imports — Imports 2020

$1.75 billion (2020 est.)

Imports — Imports 2019

$2.24 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

France 26%, China 11%, USA 10%, NZ 7%, Malaysia 4% (2023)

Imports - commodities

Cars, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, poultry, broadcasting equipment (2023)

Exchange rates — Currency

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

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2024

110.306 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2023

110.347 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2022

113.474 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2021

100.88 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2020

104.711 (2020 est.)

⚡ Energy⬆️ Top

Electricity access — electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

Electricity — installed generating capacity

345,000 kW (2023 est.)

Electricity — consumption

669.5 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity — transmission/distribution losses

42.663 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — fossil fuels

66% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — solar

7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — hydroelectricity

27% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal — imports

1 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum — refined petroleum consumption

7,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

📡 Communications⬆️ Top

Telephones - fixed lines — total subscriptions

66,000 (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

24 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — total subscriptions

334,000 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

119 (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

French public overseas broadcaster Réseau 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

73% (2017 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — total

78,000 (2022 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

28 (2022 est.)

🚚 Transportation⬆️ Top

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

F-OH

Airports

54 (2025)

Merchant marine — total

24 (2023)

Merchant marine — by type

General cargo 14

Ports — total ports

6 (2024)

Ports — large

0

Ports — medium

0

Ports — small

1

Ports — very small

5

Ports — ports with oil terminals

1

Ports — key ports

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

🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top

Military and security forces

No regular military forces

Military - note

Defense is the responsibility of France, and it maintains a military garrison in French Polynesia (Forces Armées en Polynésie Française, FAPF)