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
Total: 4,167 km² (118 islands and atolls; 67 are inhabited)
Land: 3,827 km²
Water: 340 km²
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
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
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 8.7% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 7.5% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.5% (2023 est.)
Forest: 43.1% (2023 est.)
Other: 48.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2012)

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

Population
Total: 303,540 (2024 est.)
Male: 155,138
Female: 148,402
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
Growth rate: 0.66% (2024 est.)

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.

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

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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.7 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 29.6 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 16.1 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 6.2 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 35.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 35 years
Female: 35.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.66% (2024 est.)

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

Death rate: 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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)
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
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
Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 76.6 years
Female: 81.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Total: 3% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.8% (2024 est.); 11.8% (2023 est.); 11.9% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Papeete (located on Tahiti)
Geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W
Time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
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
Note: the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands together make up the Society Islands (Iles de la Société)

Legal system: the laws of France apply

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)
Head of government: President of French Polynesia Moetai BROTHERSON (since 12 May 2023)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers approved by the Assembly from a list of its members submitted by the president
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 structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 57 (directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 4/30/2023
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)
Percentage of women in chamber: 49.1%
Expected date of next election: 2,028
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 seats
Note 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

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

National anthem
Title: 'La Marseillaise' (The Song of Marseille)
Lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
History: official anthem, as a French territory

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 cultural, 1 mixed); note - excerpted from the France entry
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2023 est.); 4.5% (2022 est.); 2.1% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3% (2023 est.); 4.5% (2022 est.); 2.1% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 70.4% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 30.5% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.7% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 23.1% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -45.6% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.2% (2020 est.)
Industry: 10.6% (2020 est.)
Services: 75.9% (2020 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates

Labor force: 119,100 (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 11.8% (2024 est.); 11.8% (2023 est.); 11.9% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.8% (2024 est.); 11.8% (2023 est.); 11.9% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Exports: $162 million (2021 est.); $94.4 million (2020 est.); $184 million (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: pearls, fish, aircraft parts, gas turbines, vanilla (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $1.66 billion (2021 est.); $1.75 billion (2020 est.); $2.24 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, poultry, broadcasting equipment (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 345,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 669.5 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 42.663 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 66% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
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.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.01 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.01 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 139,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 328,000 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 73% (2017 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 78,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28 (2022 est.)

Airports: 54 (2025)

Merchant marine
Total: 24 (2023)
By type: general cargo 14