French Polynesia  Demographic slowdown confirmed, young people continue to emigrate

In 2017, 276,000 people live in French Polynesia. In five years, the population has grown by 1,500 people per year, a slower pace than in previous years. Windward Islands have the highest increasing rate. The excess of births over deaths is the only driver of this population growth. It decreases, however, because of the decline in fertility. Departures from Polynesia are more important than arrivals and, in five years, one in ten young people between the ages of 18 and 25 has left the area. Older people are now more numerous and life expectancy has risen by one year between 2012 and 2017, to establish itself at 77 years old. More than half of the population lives in households with a large family or several families. Only 44% of the population over the age of 15 report working in a largely tertiary economy. While access to water and electricity has not changed much, Internet access is growing but very important differences remain between the archipelagos.