Insee Analyses · July 2025 · n° 111

Financial profitability gaps driven by structural differences between SMEs in the overseas departments and those in metropolitan France

In the French overseas departments, the productive structure display specific features. SMEs with between 1 and 250 employees are smaller on average in terms of turnover (excluding tax) than those in metropolitan France. These firms allocate a higher share of their turnover on intermediate consumption. Their apparent labour productivity was lower, and they faced higher financing costs, particularly in Guyane.

When comparing similar SMEs in the overses department (excluding Mayotte) and in mainland France, the financial profitability of the least profitable SMEs in the overseas department is close to that of the least profitable ones in metropolitan France. This finding also holds for SMEs with median financial profitability. However, residual gaps appear at the top distribution, in Guyane and La Réunion.

In Guyane, the most profitable SMEs exhibit higher financial profitability than their most profitable counterparts in metropolitan France – an advantage that may be partially related to activities of the space sector. In La Réunion, the residual gap mainly concerns SMEs oriented toward the local market and benefiting from tax deductions.