French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity made up of widely scattered Pacific islands. Its capital, Papeetē, is on Tahiti.
Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Papeetē; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapFrench Polynesia consists of widely separated island groups across the South Pacific. Some islands are high and volcanic, while others are low coral atolls. Their scattered arrangement means that local landscapes and conditions vary considerably.
Moorea has steep mountain peaks and valleys above a surrounding lagoon. Rangiroa, in the Tuamotu group, is an atoll with a large lagoon and low islands along the reef. These represent very different stages and forms of ocean-island geography.
The islands have generally warm oceanic conditions. Their wide geographic spread and differences in elevation create regional variations in temperature and rainfall.
High islands can have streams, wetter uplands and forest, while atolls have limited fresh water and little relief. Reefs, lagoons and open-ocean conditions are important across the territory. A single island image cannot represent all its environments.
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
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Steep volcanic peaks dominate the interior of this Society Island.
Photo: Olivier Bruchez · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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A passage connects the vast atoll lagoon with the surrounding ocean.
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
French is the official language. Tahitian is widely used and has a prominent cultural role, but it is not the only Polynesian language spoken in the territory.
Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Mangarevan and Austral languages are associated with different island groups. The name “French Polynesia” describes a political territory containing several language communities, not one uniform Polynesian language.
The islands have a long Polynesian settlement history. France annexed Tahiti in 1880, and the wider territory later became known as French Polynesia. An autonomy statute adopted in 2004 expanded local governing powers within the French Republic. French nuclear testing at Moruroa and Fangataufa from 1966 to 1996 remains an important part of the territory’s modern history.
Tourism, public services and transfers from France are central to the economy. Cultured black pearls, fishing and agricultural products contribute to exports. The islands are spread across a very large ocean area, increasing the cost of transport, infrastructure and public service delivery.
Tourism, cultured black pearls, fishing, food production and public services.
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Thousands of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 114,010 | 114.010 |
| 1980 | 156,471 | 156.471 |
| 1990 | 203,776 | 203.776 |
| 2000 | 240,337 | 240.337 |
| 2010 | 270,580 | 270.580 |
| 2020 | 279,209 | 279.209 |
| 2025 | 282,465 | 282.465 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5,157,102,802 | 5.157 |
| 1991 | 5,345,622,078 | 5.346 |
| 1992 | 5,267,715,608 | 5.268 |
| 1993 | 5,199,357,379 | 5.199 |
| 1994 | 5,112,719,178 | 5.113 |
| 1995 | 5,092,832,264 | 5.093 |
| 1996 | 5,058,784,819 | 5.059 |
| 1997 | 5,052,571,890 | 5.053 |
| 1998 | 5,140,151,877 | 5.140 |
| 1999 | 5,237,328,134 | 5.237 |
| 2000 | 5,407,300,958 | 5.407 |
| 2001 | 5,388,829,857 | 5.389 |
| 2002 | 5,434,429,137 | 5.434 |
| 2003 | 5,550,015,578 | 5.550 |
| 2004 | 5,603,920,611 | 5.604 |
| 2005 | 5,621,291,279 | 5.621 |
| 2006 | 5,671,297,393 | 5.671 |
| 2007 | 5,767,991,632 | 5.768 |
| 2008 | 5,768,381,984 | 5.768 |
| 2009 | 5,524,299,140 | 5.524 |
| 2010 | 5,388,066,377 | 5.388 |
| 2011 | 5,228,474,144 | 5.228 |
| 2012 | 5,179,978,074 | 5.180 |
| 2013 | 5,200,635,900 | 5.201 |
| 2014 | 5,231,504,506 | 5.232 |
| 2015 | 5,325,846,362 | 5.326 |
| 2016 | 5,448,457,903 | 5.448 |
| 2017 | 5,682,340,239 | 5.682 |
| 2018 | 5,785,013,023 | 5.785 |
| 2019 | 5,940,599,015 | 5.941 |
| 2020 | 5,312,451,133 | 5.312 |
| 2021 | 5,491,263,055 | 5.491 |
| 2022 | 5,652,560,509 | 5.653 |
| 2023 | 5,809,297,012 | 5.809 |
| 2024 | 5,874,732,293 | 5.875 |
An autonomous overseas collectivity within the French Republic. An elected Assembly chooses the President of French Polynesia, who leads the local government. A High Commissioner represents the French state, which retains responsibilities including defence, justice and currency.
Three questions about French Polynesia.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
