French Polynesia (Overseas Country of French Polynesia)

https://www.humantruth.info/french_polynesia.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

French Polynesia Overseas Country of French Polynesia
Status	Dependency (Overseas Collectivity)
Sovereignty	France
Capital	Papeete
Land Area	3 660km²₁
Location	Australasia, Polynesia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	PF, PYF, 258₂
Internet Domain	.pf₃
Currency	Franc (XPF)₄
Telephone	+689₅

1. Overview

“The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₆

“Sculpted by sky-piercing, moss-green peaks and lined with vivid turquoise lagoons, sultry French Polynesia is a place to take it slow and experience warm, laid-back island chic. Just the name Tahiti conjures up centuries of legend and lifetimes of daydreams. Its 18th-century reputation as a wanton playground of flower-bedecked Polynesians in an Eden-like setting has morphed into a 21st-century image of a chic honeymoon haven. But there´s more to the country than cocktails on the terrace of your over-water bungalow.
When you´re not idling in the scent of gardenias, letting your cares drift away, try hiking up a waterfall valley, paddling out on a turquoise lagoon or diving through sharky passes. While the resorts make headlines, the country´s unsung heroes are the impressive collection of family pensions that range from rickety rooms in someone´s home to luxurious boutique-style bungalows on private islets.
From the vast lagoons of the Tuamotu atolls, to the culturally intense Marquesas Islands and the scenic mountainscapes of the Society Islands (Tahiti, Mo´orea, Ra´iatea, Taha´a, Bora Bora and Maupiti), French Polynesia´s 118 islands provide enough diversity and surprises for several voyages.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₇

As a territory of France I do not have many specific statistics for this territory in its own right.

2. French Polynesia's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

This country has a fertility rate of 1.69. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₈

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₉
Pos.		2022₉
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
43	Colombia	1.69
44	French Polynesia	1.69
45	Iran	1.68
46	Seychelles	2.32
47	Maldives	1.68
48=	Suriname	2.32
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

3. French Polynesia's Health

#birth_control #demographics #french_polynesia #health #overpopulation

Compared to Australasia (2025)₁₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₀
1	Australia	49.3
2	New Zealand	51.2
3	New Caledonia	57.9
4=	French Polynesia	70.9
5	Fiji	96.7
6	Guam	99.3
7	Palau	101.7
8	Tonga	110.1
9	Tuvalu	112.1
10	Kiribati	117.2
11	Micronesia	122.8
12	Samoa	124.2
13	Vanuatu	125.3
	Australasia Avg	112.0
q=17.

Health (2025)₁₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₀
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
60	Macedonia	70.4
61	Qatar	70.7
62	Poland	70.8
63=	French Polynesia	70.9
63=	Puerto Rico	70.9
65	Barbados	71.0
66	Albania	71.4
67	Hungary	71.6
	World Avg	96.7
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₁₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria₁₁.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₁₁, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₁₁.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Public health in French Polynesia is very good. French Polynesia does better than average for its fertility rate₉ (one of the best in Australasia). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. French Polynesia's peak fertility rate was 5.89 in 1962.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₉
Pos.		2022₉
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
43	Colombia	1.69
44	French Polynesia	1.69
45	Iran	1.68
46	Seychelles	2.32
47	Maldives	1.68
48=	Suriname	2.32
	Australasia Avg	2.82
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

4. French Polynesia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #food #french_polynesia #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Australasia (2023)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Fiji	53.7
2	Vanuatu	76.8
3	Kiribati	80.0
	...
5=	Australia	89.4
6	Micronesia	90.2
7=	Nauru	94.0
8	Tonga	97.5
9	Solomon Islands	104.5
10	Papua New Guinea	113.7
11	French Polynesia	122.5
12	New Caledonia	133.5
13	Samoa	142.7
	Australasia Avg	98.8
q=13.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2023)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Uruguay	46.1
2	Cuba	52.0
3	Fiji	53.7
	...
168	Bolivia	121.0
169	Sao Tome & Principe	121.2
170	Chad	122.4
171	French Polynesia	122.5
172	Suriname	123.5
173	S. Africa	123.6
174	Argentina	124.1
175	Niger	124.3
	World Avg	94.3
q=190.

French Polynesia ranks 20th-worst in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment (amongst the highest in Australasia). This rank is calculated from 2 data sets. French Polynesia does better than average for its forested percent change 2000-2020₁₃. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in reducing annual meat consumption per person₁₄ (one of the highest in Australasia).

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₁₃
Pos.		Total₁₃
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
75	Micronesia	0.9%
76	Iraq	0.9%
77	Russia	0.7%
78	French Polynesia	0.6%
79	Germany	0.6%
80	Norway	0.6%
81	Cyprus	0.5%
82	New Zealand	0.4%
	Australasia Avg	0.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₁₄
Pos.		2021 kg₁₄
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
167	St Lucia	89.6
168	Taiwan	89.8
169	Croatia	90.8
170	French Polynesia	92.5
171	Portugal	94.6
172	St Kitts & Nevis	96.6
173	Chile	97.8
174	Brazil	98.8
	Australasia Avg	74.2
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, French Polynesia's meat consumption per person was the 10th-highest in the world, putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₁₄

5. French Polynesia's Modernity and Learning

#the_internet

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better₁₅
Pos.		2016₁₅
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
69=	Antigua & Barbuda	65%
70	Greece	65%
71	Saudi Arabia	65%
72	French Polynesia	64%
73	Albania	63%
74	Palestine	63%
75	Montenegro	62%
76	Bosnia & Herzegovina	62%
	Australasia Avg	44.3%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₁₆
Pos.		2017 Ratio₁₆
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
144=	Iraq	0.0
144=	Oman	0.0
144=	Papua New Guinea	0.0
144=	French Polynesia	0.0
144=	Palestine	0.0
144=	Lesotho	0.0
144=	Monaco	0.0
144=	Bermuda	0.0
	Australasia Avg	1.55
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₁₇:

Christian	94%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.5%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	4.9%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%₁₈.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

There isn't much information in the database for French Polynesia, most likely because it is either a part of another country (i.e., a territory or possession) and therefore most international statistics are counted for the country as a whole, or, this is such an exotic place that little data exists about it.