Rank #69 by World Population

🇵🇫French Polynesia

French Polynesia has a population of 281,118, ranking #69 in the world. The capital is Papeete. Located in East Asia & Pacific.

World Bank: High income

281,118

Population

#69

World Rank

84.1

Life Expectancy

$21,832

GDP Per Capita

French Polynesia, #69 by world population

French Polynesia Population History (1960-2024)

The country of French Polynesia had a population of 83,671 in 1960 and 281,807 in 2024, a 3.4× growth over 64 years. The peak was 281,807 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 1.92%.

281,807

Population (2024)

83,671

Population (1960)

281,807

Peak (2024)

1.92%

Avg Annual Growth

Year	Population	Change	Annual %	Source
1960	83,671	-	-	estimate
1961	85,434	+1,763	+2.11%	estimate
1962	87,261	+1,827	+2.14%	estimate
1963	89,737	+2,476	+2.84%	estimate
1964	92,823	+3,086	+3.44%	estimate
1965	96,017	+3,194	+3.44%	estimate
1966	99,320	+3,303	+3.44%	estimate
1967	102,754	+3,434	+3.46%	estimate
1968	106,353	+3,599	+3.50%	estimate
1969	110,111	+3,758	+3.53%	estimate
1970	114,010	+3,899	+3.54%	estimate
1971	117,945	+3,935	+3.45%	estimate
1972	121,886	+3,941	+3.34%	estimate
1973	125,897	+4,011	+3.29%	estimate
1974	129,960	+4,063	+3.23%	estimate
1975	134,045	+4,085	+3.14%	estimate
1976	138,114	+4,069	+3.04%	estimate
1977	142,313	+4,199	+3.04%	estimate
1978	146,821	+4,508	+3.17%	estimate
1979	151,569	+4,748	+3.23%	estimate
1980	156,471	+4,902	+3.23%	estimate
1981	161,506	+5,035	+3.22%	estimate
1982	166,646	+5,140	+3.18%	estimate
1983	171,750	+5,104	+3.06%	estimate
1984	176,469	+4,719	+2.75%	estimate
1985	180,988	+4,519	+2.56%	estimate
1986	185,669	+4,681	+2.59%	estimate
1987	190,449	+4,780	+2.57%	estimate
1988	195,193	+4,744	+2.49%	estimate
1989	199,643	+4,450	+2.28%	estimate
1990	203,776	+4,133	+2.07%	estimate
1991	207,744	+3,968	+1.95%	estimate
1992	211,559	+3,815	+1.84%	estimate
1993	215,219	+3,660	+1.73%	estimate
1994	218,738	+3,519	+1.64%	estimate
1995	222,118	+3,380	+1.55%	estimate
1996	225,489	+3,371	+1.52%	estimate
1997	229,121	+3,632	+1.61%	estimate
1998	232,891	+3,770	+1.65%	estimate
1999	236,595	+3,704	+1.59%	estimate
2000	240,337	+3,742	+1.58%	estimate
2001	244,097	+3,760	+1.56%	estimate
2002	247,775	+3,678	+1.51%	estimate
2003	251,637	+3,862	+1.56%	estimate
2004	255,654	+4,017	+1.60%	estimate
2005	259,507	+3,853	+1.51%	estimate
2006	263,223	+3,716	+1.43%	estimate
2007	266,438	+3,215	+1.22%	estimate
2008	268,379	+1,941	+0.73%	estimate
2009	269,481	+1,102	+0.41%	estimate
2010	270,580	+1,099	+0.41%	estimate
2011	271,727	+1,147	+0.42%	estimate
2012	273,084	+1,357	+0.50%	estimate
2013	274,728	+1,644	+0.60%	estimate
2014	276,387	+1,659	+0.60%	estimate
2015	277,866	+1,479	+0.54%	estimate
2016	279,178	+1,312	+0.47%	estimate
2017	280,087	+909	+0.33%	estimate
2018	279,815	-272	-0.10%	estimate
2019	279,034	-781	-0.28%	estimate
2020	279,209	+175	+0.06%	estimate
2021	279,792	+583	+0.21%	estimate
2022	280,378	+586	+0.21%	estimate
2023	281,118	+740	+0.26%	estimate
2024	281,807	+689	+0.25%	estimate

Demographics

Population	281,118
Population Growth Rate	0.26%
Urban Population	61.7%
Fertility Rate	1.50 births/woman
Life Expectancy	84.1 years
Infant Mortality Rate	-
Literacy Rate	-

Economy & Trade

$21,832

GDP Per Capita

11.6%

Unemployment Rate

High income

Income Level

71.7%

Trade (% of GDP)

89,400.002

Tourism Arrivals

Health & Education

Development & Connectivity

100.0%

Electricity Access

115

Mobile Subs per 100

81.0

People per km2

-1,348

Net Migration

Environment

43.1%

Forest Area

Other Countries in East Asia & Pacific

American Samoa Australia Brunei Darussalam Cambodia China

Compare French Polynesia

vs American Samoa vs Australia vs Brunei Darussalam vs Cambodia

French Polynesia in global context

French Polynesia is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.

World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →

Other related entities

American Samoa (47,521)Australia (26,659,922)Brunei Darussalam (458,949)Cambodia (17,423,880)China (1,410,710,000)All countries →

Country rankings

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Frequently Asked Questions

French Polynesia has a population of 281,118, ranking #69 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 0.26%.

Life expectancy in French Polynesia is 84.1 years.

French Polynesia's GDP per capita is $21,832. It is classified as a high income country by the World Bank.

61.7% of French Polynesia's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 81.0 people per square kilometer.

Literacy data for French Polynesia is available from the World Bank.

Sources: World Bank Open Data

International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.

The this entity record above pulls directly from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. population demographics distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.

Every number on this page links back to the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.

Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.