Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
French Polynesia at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
35%
of electricity
Food imported
16%
of merchandise imports · ~US$391m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About French Polynesia.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see French Polynesia, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHistory
Decades of nuclear tests on two atolls
France carried out 41 atmospheric nuclear tests over Mururoa and Fangataufa between 1966 and 1974, then 137 underground tests between 1975 and January 1996. Counting 15 safety trials, the total came to 193.
SoberingHealth
Testing raised cancer on nearby islands
A French medical research body found in 2006 that nuclear testing had increased cancer on the inhabited islands nearest the test sites. In 2008 France finally agreed to compensate test workers.
SoberingNature
Native tree snails were eaten out of the wild
Introduced snails, including the predatory rosy wolf snail, left most Partula tree snail species extinct in the wild or critically endangered. The Polynesian tree snail was declared extinct in the wild in 1994.
RemarkableNature
The largest return of animals extinct in the wild
In April 2023, 5,522 extinct-in-the-wild and critically endangered Partula snails, kept alive in zoos for decades, were released on Tahiti and Moorea. The Zoological Society of London called it the largest ever release of species extinct in the wild.
RemarkableCulture
Taputapuatea was the heart of Eastern Polynesia
The marae at Taputapuatea on Raiatea, established around 1000 AD, was once considered the central temple of Eastern Polynesia. New marae in Hawaii, Rapa Nui and Aotearoa were each founded with a stone taken from it.
The History of French Polynesia.
French Polynesia keeps a living Polynesian heritage. Tahitian dance, from the ʻōteʻa, once a war dance for men, to the ʻaparima, is celebrated each July at the Heiva i Tahiti festival, alongside hīmene tārava, polyphonic choral singing in linked verses.
Where the name comes from
'Polynesia' is Greek-derived, 'many islands', coined by Europeans. Its peoples' own names are for the archipelagos, among them Tahiti Nui and Te Ao Mā'ohi for the wider Mā'ohi world. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: rugged high volcanic islands alongside low coral atolls and their reefs. Its high point is Mont Orohena, 2,241 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
The hub of the Pacific
Long before these islands were settled, Lapita pottery makers spread from the Bismarck archipelago, where their pottery appears from around 1500 BC, east to Vanuatu and Fiji. High-precision radiocarbon dating places first settlement of the Society Islands between about AD 1025 and 1120, and from that hub one rapid pulse of voyaging between about 1190 and 1290 settled the rest of East Polynesia, including New Zealand, Hawaii and Rapa Nui. Navigators found their way without instruments, reading star paths, swell, cloud and bird flight.
How it got here
Taputapuatea to 1996
The marae at Taputapuatea on Raiatea, at the centre of the Polynesian Triangle, became a political, ceremonial and funerary centre. Samuel Wallis reached Tahiti in 1767, and English Protestant missionaries followed. France imposed a protectorate in 1842, and in 1880 Pomare V ceded his kingdom to France. Between 1966 and 1996 France conducted 193 nuclear experiments at Moruroa and Fangataufa. A 2004 organic law made French Polynesia an autonomous overseas collectivity of France.
The timeline
c. 1500 to 1300 BC
The voyaging line begins.
Lapita pottery appears in the Bismarck Archipelago, first on Mussau, and after about 130 to 290 years its makers carry it east to Vanuatu and Fiji. Source
c. AD 1025 to 1120
The Society Islands.
High-precision radiocarbon dating places first settlement of the Society Islands in this window, four centuries later than long assumed. Source
c. AD 1190 to 1290
The great dispersal.
From this hub, one rapid pulse of voyaging settles the remaining islands of East Polynesia, including New Zealand, Hawaii and Rapa Nui. Source
Since first settlement
Wayfinding.
Navigators find their way without instruments, reading star paths that rise and set at fixed points, ocean swells, clouds over unseen islands and land birds returning at dusk. Source
Over 1,000 years
Taputapuatea.
The Taputapuātea marae complex on Ra'iātea, at the centre of the Polynesian Triangle, serves as a political, ceremonial and funerary centre. UNESCO calls it an exceptional testimony to 1,000 years of mā'ohi civilisation. Source
1767 to 1819
European arrival.
Samuel Wallis reaches Tahiti in 1767. English Protestant missionaries follow, and in 1819 a law code they shaped is imposed under the Pomare dynasty. Source
1842 to 1880
Protectorate and annexation.
France declares a protectorate and later annexes the islands. Source
1966 to 1996
Nuclear testing.
France carried out 193 nuclear experiments, including 15 safety trials, at Moruroa and Fangataufa. Source
2004
Overseas country.
An organic law of 27 February 2004 gives French Polynesia its autonomy statute as an overseas collectivity of France. Source
PNAS, High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia · UNESCO World Heritage, Taputapuatea · Musee de Tahiti et des Iles, Te Fare Iamanaha, permanent exhibition · Archaeology in Oceania (ANU Open Research), Dating the appearance of Lapita pottery in the Bismarck Archipelago and its dispersal to Remote Oceania · Te Papa Tongarewa, Pacific navigation · Digitheque MJP, Universite de Perpignan, Polynesie francaise · Assemblee de la Polynesie francaise, Histoire 1767 to 1819 · IAEA, The Radiological Situation at the Atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa
Nature and Biodiversity in French Polynesia.
French Polynesia manages essentially its entire ocean space as a designated marine managed area, which the World Bank records as 87.4% marine coverage in 2025, and it holds genuine reserves such as the Fakarava UNESCO Biosphere alongside traditional rāhui closures. Most of that area is sustainable-use rather than strict no-take, however, and only 5.6% of land is protected.
Is wild French Polynesia protected? 5.6% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in French Polynesia?
Forest cover43.06%
Terrestrial protected area5.6%
Marine protected area87.4%
128 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), French Polynesia · Convention on Biological Diversity, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3 · World Bank, Threatened species counts (mammals, birds, fish, higher plants), French Polynesia
Found only here. Tahiti monarch (Critically Endangered, Tahiti only); endemic Partula tree snails; endemic fruit doves
The watchlist
ThreatenedTahiti Monarch (Pomarea nigra) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedSphyrna lewini Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray).
ThreatenedPartula taeniata Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedUltramarine Lory (Vini ultramarina) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedMarquesan Kingfisher (Todiramphus godeffroyi) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedRimatara Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus rimitarae) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedIphis Monarch (Pomarea iphis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Tahiti Monarch (Pomarea nigra)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in French Polynesia. GBIF holds 118 verified occurrence records.
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in French Polynesia. GBIF holds 108 verified occurrence records.
Sphyrna lewini
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in French Polynesia. GBIF holds 10 verified occurrence records.
Partula taeniata
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in French Polynesia. GBIF holds 10 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for French Polynesia filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
Listed and checked on Hold The Throne. Visiting it is the most direct way a visitor funds work on the ground in French Polynesia.
Water and Ocean in French Polynesia.
The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
90.4% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Most homes have a safe supply, but coverage is not universal, so check locally before drinking from the tap.
Cleanest water: Fakarava (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) and the remote Tuamotu lagoons
What are the rules on French Polynesia beaches?
·Tap water: Varies.
✓Solo travel: rated easy on the record for this destination.
✓Marine protection: 87.4% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge is met.
Named on the open map: Matira Beach (Bora Bora), Plage de la Pointe Vénus (Tahiti), Plage Taharuu (Tahiti), Plage de Tautira (Tahiti), Plage de Temae (Moorea), Plage de Ta'ahiamanu (Moorea), Plage publique de Tiahura (Moorea). That is 7 named beaches in the public record for French Polynesia, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
97.5%
of people have at least basic sanitation
97.5% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2024, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
How is the sea around French Polynesia doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Two warm seasons, May–Oct is drier, Nov–Apr rainier with more cyclone risk.
Nearshore
Protected water
87.4% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Fakarava (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) and the remote Tuamotu lagoons.
The record
Measured
The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
French Polynesia scored 75 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 59th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
87.4%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
128 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in French Polynesia?
90.4% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP).
When is the best time to visit French Polynesia? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
FAO AQUASTAT · WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme · World Bank Open Data · Ocean Health Index, French Polynesia region page · Ocean Health Index, Global scores · OpenStreetMap, Overpass API query of French Polynesia (natural=beach, historic=archaeological_site, tourism=museum, amenity=marketplace) · OpenStreetMap, Matira Beach (way 96471663) · OpenStreetMap, Plage de la Pointe Venus (node 5536883221)
Food and Drink in French Polynesia.
The islands rely on imports for much of their food, which made up 17.6 per cent of merchandise imports in 2025, and poultry is among the top five import goods. By tonnage, local farms grow mostly coconuts, fruit, cassava and sugarcane, and vanilla is among the top exports.
Where does the food in French Polynesia come from?
15.9% imported
about US$391m a year
On the plate: Taro, breadfruit (uru), coconut, banana, fei plantain, cassava, sweet potato and tropical fruit
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$391m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 15.9% of everything French Polynesia buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 2.2% of the economy and 8.7% of the land is agricultural, of which 0.7% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in French Polynesia? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Diabetes22.8%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 73.6%.
Can French Polynesia feed itself?
0.7%
Arable land
8.1%
Agricultural land
2,314
Farmers
6,178
Arable acres
2.2%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Breadfruit and mango in the warm season (November to April); vanilla curing on Taha'a
Feeding itself
The islands import most of their food, with foodstuffs among the top import categories and most meat and dairy shipped in from New Zealand and France. Local production is largely subsistence taro, breadfruit, cassava and fish, supplemented by cash crops of vanilla, copra and noni.
Certification
No published organic-farmland figure exists for the territory. Agriculture is mostly smallholder and subsistence with low-input methods but little formal certification, so the score reflects documented low-input rather than certified-organic farming.
Water for crops
The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certified-organic farmland is not separately reported for French Polynesia, and that is a certification gap rather than proof nothing is grown cleanly. What the official land record does show: 8.7% of the country is agricultural land and 0.7% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
CoconutsFruitsCassavaSugarcanePineapplesTropical fruitsWatermelonsTomatoes
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, crop production in French Polynesia is dominated by coconuts at about 91,000 tonnes, with cassava and sugar cane the largest of the remaining named crops at under 4,000 tonnes each (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: the Papeete Market (Marché de Papeete) in the centre of the capital, selling fruit, vegetables, fish, oils and handicrafts such as hats, bags and shell necklaces. On the outer islands the open map names the Marché de Fare (Huahine), the Marché municipal in Moerai (Rurutu) and a Marché artisanal on Rangiroa. Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Vaiggie Soul, vegan kitchen in Punaauia, Tahiti: listed as fully vegan; Autrement, vegetarian restaurant at 11 Rue Yves Martin, Papeete: vegetarian lunches cooked without pesticides or GMOs, Monday to Friday; Bount'iti, vegan ice cream at Parc Paofai, Papeete: plant based ice cream. Fully plant based kitchens are scarce in French Polynesia, so these are the few listed. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in French Polynesia?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
TaroCoconutBananaFei plantainCassavaSweet potatoTropical fruit
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · OpenStreetMap, Overpass API query of French Polynesia (natural=beach, historic=archaeological_site, tourism=museum, amenity=marketplace) · OpenStreetMap, Marae Ahu o Mahine (node 270563679) · OpenStreetMap, Maison de James Norman Hall (node 6366258598) · HappyCow, Find Vegan Options in Tahiti · Tahiti Tourisme, Restaurant Autrement · Wikipedia, Papeete Market · OpenStreetMap, Marché de Fare (node 13613963043) · CIA World Factbook, French Polynesia (archived 2025) · World Bank, Food imports (% of merchandise imports), French Polynesia
Climate and Energy in French Polynesia.
French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent). Per person emissions are moderate at 3.27 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, held down by a small industrial base rather than by clean power. The territory has set a target of 75 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and is investing in sea water air conditioning and island solar, though outer islands remain almost entirely diesel powered. Progress is real but partial, and the grid is still fossil dominated.
What powers French Polynesia?
Renewable 34.7%Fossil 65.3%
On Tahiti, generation and distribution in the north of the island are run by EDT, part of France's Engie group, under a concession granted by the territorial government in 1960 and extended to 30 September 2030. Its subsidiary TSE has served the south of the island since 2017, and Engie companies (EDT, TSE, EDP and EDM) hold the concessions that cover about 95 per cent of demand across the islands; the rest comes from council run or small private supplies. The high voltage transmission network on Tahiti belongs to TEP, a mixed economy company created in 1985, which the government's 2023 report on public companies shows as 75 per cent owned by French Polynesia and 25 per cent by RTE International since 2022. The territorial government is the granting authority that oversees the concessions.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
3.46 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
4.72 tonnes
The grid
French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent). Per person emissions are moderate at 3.27 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, held down by a small industrial base rather than by clean power.
Pollution
Remote oceanic air is clean, though no published PM2.5 figure exists for the territory, and the Fenua Ma service runs six-stream waste sorting on Tahiti and Moorea. There is no confirmed single-use-plastic ban and the outer archipelagos have little waste infrastructure, so plastic and litter pressure on lagoons is a real concern.
Water stress
The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.69.6%
2Industry Nuclear-testing legacy at Moruroa and Fangataufa (1966 to 1996); over-tourism pressure on lagoons.named
3On the record Remote oceanic air is clean, though no published PM2.5 figure exists for the territory, and the Fenua Ma service runs six-stream waste sorting on Tahiti and Moorea.
What has French Polynesia promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today23.7% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target5.6% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target87.4% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 23.7% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 76.3% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year3.46 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy3.12 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy2.87 t CO2e
Paris return, economy2.83 t CO2e
London return, economy2.77 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy2.73 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to French Polynesia emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In February 2023 the French state and the territorial government agreed a 60 million euro (7.16 billion CFP franc) energy transition fund for 2023 to 2026, promised by President Macron during his July 2021 visit. It pays for fully renewable power, hybrid plants that are more than half renewable, renewable heating and cooling, and grid and storage works, in support of the territory's aim of 75 per cent renewable production by 2030. In July 2021 the territory signed a 4.7 billion CFP franc (39.4 million euro) investment loan with the French development agency AFD, more than a third of it at zero interest, alongside 54 million CFP francs of funding for the energy transition.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · EDT, Rapport du délégataire 2025, Tahiti Nord (Service des énergies) · Gouvernement de la Polynésie française, fiche TEP 2023 · Ministère de la Transition écologique, Fonds de transition énergétique en Polynésie française · Outremers360, La Polynésie a conclu un prêt de 39 millions d'euros auprès de l'AFD
AI and Data Centres in French Polynesia.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in French Polynesia.
Data centres
0
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
34.7 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in French Polynesia?
Most of the power behind a machine here is still burned.
Renewable 34.7%Fossil 65.3%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 34.7% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. French Polynesia has 0 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, and no internet exchange is registered.
Where the cables land. 23 landing points · Arutua, Fakarava, Faratea, Hao
Economy and Tourism in French Polynesia.
48% residents to 52% visitors across a year. 300,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 282,465 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in French Polynesia
89k
Visitors a year
0.3
Visitors per resident
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in French Polynesia?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 300,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 282,465 residents, 1.1 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in French Polynesia is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 15.9% of everything French Polynesia imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, coconuts, fruits, cassava, sugarcane, pineapples, tropical fruits, watermelons, tomatoes, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
76.3% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power mostly leave French Polynesia. Choosing locally grown food is the part of that a visitor can actually control.
less than you think6
No plan B
66.4% of everything French Polynesia sells abroad is pearls, gemstones and precious metals (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
66.4% one export7
Community chest
Tourism earns 65.1% of everything French Polynesia makes from exports (2016, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
65.1% of exports8
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Dubai a return economy seat is 3.12 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.12 t CO2GDPUS$6.3bn
Agriculture, share of GDP2.2%
Visitors a year89,400
Visitors per resident0.3
Residents~282,465
Agriculture
Farming is 2.2% of the economy. The islands import most of their food, with foodstuffs among the top import categories and most meat and dairy shipped in from New Zealand and France.
Natural materials
Living natural-materials crafts include tapa bark cloth surviving in the Marquesas, pandanus weaving, tifaifai appliqué quilts made by groups of women, the pareo, and monoi oil, which has held a French Appellation d'Origine since 1992. These crafts remain part of ceremony and daily life.
Energy
French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent). Per person emissions are moderate at 3.27 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, held down by a small industrial base rather than by clean power.
Who owns the biggest hotels in French Polynesia?
By rooms · company records and press.
The Brando · ~35 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
2015239k
2016241k
2017254k
2018264k
2019300k
202089k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.78 billion in 2016 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 65.1% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting French Polynesia, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking taro, breadfruit (uru), coconut, banana, fei plantain, cassava, sweet potato and tropical fruit over imported menus.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Air Tahiti inter-island flights (around 48 destinations); ferries link Tahiti and Moorea
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
A Pacific collectivity that manages its entire ocean as a marine area, with staggering endemism, living Mā'ohi crafts and family-run pensions.
Best time: Dry season May to October, which also overlaps the Rurutu whale season (July to October)
Getting around
Air Tahiti inter-island flights (around 48 destinations); ferries link Tahiti and Moorea
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is taro, breadfruit (uru), coconut, banana, fei plantain, cassava, sweet potato and tropical fruit. Traditional Mā'ohi food rests on abundant plant staples including taro, breadfruit (uru), coconut, banana and fei plantain, alongside cassava and tropical fruit.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Resorts are expensive and card-friendly; XPF. A few French words go far; lagoon rules are strict.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the place to stay
The BrandoIndependent · 35 rooms
The one property listed here does not publish who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in French Polynesia.
How well is French Polynesia actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, French Polynesia scores 58 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in French Polynesia really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterPower
✓How you get around Air Tahiti inter-island flights (around 48 destinations); ferries link Tahiti and Moorea
Made in French Polynesia.
Living natural-materials crafts include tapa bark cloth surviving in the Marquesas, pandanus weaving, tifaifai appliqué quilts made by groups of women, the pareo, and monoi oil, which has held a French Appellation d'Origine since 1992. These crafts remain part of ceremony and daily life. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What French Polynesia actually sells the world
The single biggest thing French Polynesia sells the world is pearls, gemstones and precious metals, 66.4% of all exports in 2023 (about US$0.16 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are other at 20.7%, fish and seafood at 7.8%, coffee, tea and spices at 2.1%, essential oils, perfumery and cosmetics at 0.8%.
Made now · natural materials
Living natural-materials crafts include tapa bark cloth surviving in the Marquesas
Worked in French Polynesia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Pandanus weaving
Worked in French Polynesia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Tifaifai appliqué quilts made by groups of women
Worked in French Polynesia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Pareo
Worked in French Polynesia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Monoi oil
Worked in French Polynesia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Daily life
Worked in French Polynesia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 5.5% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
French Polynesia imported US$0.13 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 5.5% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 5.4% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
French Polynesia imported US$0.12 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 5.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.4% of imports
Vehicles
French Polynesia imported US$0.10 billion of vehicles in 2023, 4.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.1% of imports
Pharmaceuticals
French Polynesia imported US$0.09 billion of pharmaceuticals in 2023, 4.1% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. French Polynesia produces about US$6 billion a year, which is roughly US$22,388 per person (2024, World Bank). Farming is 2.2% of that, while food is 15.9% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in French Polynesia.
1933 as a separate Heiva contestJuly, at the Heiva i Tahiti
ʻŌteʻa
Once a war dance reserved for men, the ʻōteʻa has had its own Heiva contest since 1933 and is a required part of every competing dance group's show.
July, at the Heiva i Tahiti
ʻOri Tahiti dance
Tahitian dance, ʻori Tahiti, is judged at the Heiva in the Hura Tau and Hura Ava Tau group categories, where each group must perform ʻōteʻa, ʻaparima, pāʻōʻā and hivināu.
July, at the Heiva i Tahiti
Hīmene tārava choral singing
Hīmene tārava is polyphonic choral singing in linked verses, a compulsory category in the Heiva i Tahiti song contest, with texts of at least six verses of six lines.
since 1881July (3 to 19 July in 2025)
Heiva i Tahiti festival
Tahiti's main festival of dance, song, canoe racing and traditional sport, held on Place To'atā and across the islands. It grew from festivities first held in 1881 and took the name Heiva i Tahiti in 1985.
1980s revivalTatau tattoo revivalTahitian tattooing was abandoned under missionary suppression in the 1830s and revived in the 1980s, and it is now a strong marker of identity.
July, at the HeivaVa'a outrigger canoe racingVa'a races are part of the Heiva, with outrigger canoes crewed by one, three, six or twelve paddlers, alongside sailing canoe regattas called va'a ta'ie.
Does French Polynesia protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. French Polynesia holds one of the most vibrant living Polynesian heritages in the Pacific. Tahitian dance, the fast ʻōteʻa and the swaying hura, is practised across the islands and celebrated each July at the Heiva i Tahiti festival, alongside himene tārava choral singing whose layered harmonies are unique to the region. Ancestral Mā'ohi traditions endure through the revival of tatau (tattoo), va'a outrigger canoe voyaging, oral genealogy and reverence for marae, the sacred stone temple sites.
Who it belongs to. Mā'ohi culture is genuinely living, including the respected māhū third-gender tradition, and family-run pensions de famille offer a community-scale alternative to the resorts, with pearl and craft sales channelling income to households. The large over-water-bungalow resort sector nonetheless concentrates much of the tourism revenue.
Only here. Tahitian black pearl (Pinctada margaritifera), cultivated only in the Tuamotu and Gambier lagoons.
Te Fare Tauhiti Nui, Heiva i Tahiti, l'histoire · Te Fare Tauhiti Nui, Heiva i Tahiti 2025 · Te Fare Tauhiti Nui, Heiva i Tahiti 2026 dance rules · Te Fare Tauhiti Nui, Heiva i Tahiti 2026 song rules · Australian National University, Makiko Kuwahara, Making multiple skins, tattooing and identity formation in French Polynesia (PhD thesis, 2003)
The Future of French Polynesia.
Three futures for French Polynesia, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Marae Ahu o Mahine (Moorea), Marae Māha'iātea (Papara, Tahiti), Marae Ta'ata (Paea, Tahiti), Maison de James Norman Hall (Arue, Tahiti), Centre Jacques Brel (Atuona, Hiva Oa), Maison du Pétroglyphe (Ua Huka). OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 40% to 42.4% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 27.7% to 23.7% across 21 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 3.18 t to 3.46 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 186k to 89.4k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 1.1% to 5.6% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 2.48% to 1.92% across 30 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 9.81% to 8.14% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 56.5% to 61.8% across 30 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 69.3% to 73.6% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 18,850 to 22,440 across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 222k to 282k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 8.3% to 7% across 27 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 76.2 yrs to 84.2 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 400 kg/ha to 130 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 43.5% to 38.2% across 30 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 1,465 km2 to 1,495 km2 across 30 recorded years.
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of French Polynesia's record. No published organic-farmland figure exists for the territory. Agriculture is mostly smallholder and subsistence with low-input methods but little formal certification, so the score reflects documented low-input rather than certified-organic farming.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift energy
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of French Polynesia's record. French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent).
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift water
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of French Polynesia's record. The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in French Polynesia.
Who is in charge of French Polynesia now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 8 September 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Moetai Brotherson
President of French Polynesia
Moetai Brotherson is the head of government of French Polynesia, in office since 12 May 2023. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 73.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 73.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 44.1 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 44.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 75.7 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 83.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 69.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 75.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Moetai BrothersonPresident of French Polynesia
Assembly of French Polynesia (Assemblée de la PolynésieLegislature, unicameral
Last election16–30 April 2023
ConstitutionFrench Constitution of 1958
Government typeoverseas collectivity of France with its own assembly and government
French Polynesia national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
✕ far behindTarget 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. French Polynesia currently protects 5.6% of its land, which is 19% of the way to the pledge. Source
2030
30% of sea protected
✓ deliveredThe marine half of the same 30x30 pledge. French Polynesia currently protects 87.4% of its territorial waters, which is 291% of the way there. Source
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on recordFrench Polynesia has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. Source
Plastic policy
Grid, as it stands
30.4% renewableRecorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. Source
Plain Answers About French Polynesia.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is French Polynesia sustainable?
French Polynesia scores 63 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. A Pacific collectivity that manages its entire ocean as a marine area, with staggering endemism, living Mā'ohi crafts and family-run pensions.
Is the water in French Polynesia safe and plentiful?
The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
Can French Polynesia feed itself?
The islands import most of their food, with foodstuffs among the top import categories and most meat and dairy shipped in from New Zealand and France. Local production is largely subsistence taro, breadfruit, cassava and fish, supplemented by cash crops of vanilla, copra and noni.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in French Polynesia?
Traditional Mā'ohi food rests on abundant plant staples including taro, breadfruit (uru), coconut, banana and fei plantain, alongside cassava and tropical fruit. The everyday diet is fish-forward and increasingly shaped by imported processed food, so plant-based eating is available and traditional rather than dominant.
How much of French Polynesia is actually protected?
French Polynesia manages essentially its entire ocean space as a designated marine managed area, which the World Bank records as 87.4% marine coverage in 2025, and it holds genuine reserves such as the Fakarava UNESCO Biosphere alongside traditional rāhui closures. Most of that area is sustainable-use rather than strict no-take, however, and only 5.6% of land is protected.
What wildlife is left in French Polynesia?
Endemism is extraordinary: the Tahiti monarch is still Critically Endangered but recovering, reaching 165 adults at the end of 2025 after decades of predator control, and the endemic Partula tree snails suffered one of the world's starkest extinction episodes and are now the subject of active reintroductions. Marine life is iconic too, from humpback whales breeding inshore at Rurutu to Fakarava's famous aggregation of around 700 grey reef sharks.
Is French Polynesia on clean energy?
French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent). Per person emissions are moderate at 3.27 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, held down by a small industrial base rather than by clean power. The territory has set a target of 75 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and is investing in sea water air conditioning and island solar, though outer islands remain almost entirely diesel powered.
How polluted is French Polynesia?
Remote oceanic air is clean, though no published PM2.5 figure exists for the territory, and the Fenua Ma service runs six-stream waste sorting on Tahiti and Moorea. There is no confirmed single-use-plastic ban and the outer archipelagos have little waste infrastructure, so plastic and litter pressure on lagoons is a real concern.
Does recycling work in French Polynesia?
No municipal recycling rate is published for the territory. Fenua Ma provides six-stream sorting on Tahiti and Moorea, crushing glass locally and exporting plastic and e-waste, but coverage is thin across the outer archipelagos.
Is the farming in French Polynesia organic?
No published organic-farmland figure exists for the territory. Agriculture is mostly smallholder and subsistence with low-input methods but little formal certification, so the score reflects documented low-input rather than certified-organic farming.
Are there natural materials and craft in French Polynesia?
Living natural-materials crafts include tapa bark cloth surviving in the Marquesas, pandanus weaving, tifaifai appliqué quilts made by groups of women, the pareo, and monoi oil, which has held a French Appellation d'Origine since 1992. These crafts remain part of ceremony and daily life.
Is there living culture in French Polynesia?
Mā'ohi culture is genuinely living, including the respected māhū third-gender tradition, and family-run pensions de famille offer a community-scale alternative to the resorts, with pearl and craft sales channelling income to households. The large over-water-bungalow resort sector nonetheless concentrates much of the tourism revenue.
What heritage does French Polynesia keep alive?
French Polynesia holds one of the most vibrant living Polynesian heritages in the Pacific. Tahitian dance, the fast ʻōteʻa and the swaying hura, is practised across the islands and celebrated each July at the Heiva i Tahiti festival, alongside himene tārava choral singing whose layered harmonies are unique to the region. Ancestral Mā'ohi traditions endure through the revival of tatau (tattoo), va'a outrigger canoe voyaging, oral genealogy and reverence for marae, the sacred stone temple sites.
So is French Polynesia actually green? The measured answer
What is working: sea protected at 87.4%.
What is not: land protected at 5.6% against a 30% mark, renewable electricity at 23.7% against a 100% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · CIA World Factbook, French Polynesia (archived 2025) · World Bank, Population, total, French Polynesia · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), French Polynesia · World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total), French Polynesia · World Bank, CO2 emissions per capita, French Polynesia · Gouvernement de la Polynésie française, Le président
How French Polynesia Ranks, region and world.
Where French Polynesia sits on the Eco Index, against its Oceania neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does French Polynesia compare in Oceania?
1Australia77
2New Zealand75
4Fiji62
Scored Oceania destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
French Polynesia sits 41 of 77 at 63/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is French Polynesia particularly good at?
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. French Polynesia holds one of the most vibrant living Polynesian heritages in the Pacific. Tahitian dance, the fast ʻōteʻa and the swaying hura, is practised across the islands and celebrated each July at the Heiva i Tahiti festival, alongside himene tārava choral singing whose layered harmonies are unique to the region. Ancestral Mā'ohi traditions endure through the revival of tatau (tattoo), va'a outrigger canoe voyaging, oral genealogy and reverence for marae, the sacred stone temple sites. Craft knowledge of tapa bark cloth and pandanus weaving is passed down within families. This is deep, widely practised living heritage.
✓ Conservation, scored 4/5. French Polynesia manages essentially its entire ocean space as a designated marine managed area, which the World Bank records as 87.4% marine coverage in 2025, and it holds genuine reserves such as the Fakarava UNESCO Biosphere alongside traditional rāhui closures. Most of that area is sustainable-use rather than strict no-take, however, and only 5.6% of land is protected.
✓ Culture, scored 4/5. Mā'ohi culture is genuinely living, including the respected māhū third-gender tradition, and family-run pensions de famille offer a community-scale alternative to the resorts, with pearl and craft sales channelling income to households. The large over-water-bungalow resort sector nonetheless concentrates much of the tourism revenue.
Where does French Polynesia score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 2/5. No published organic-farmland figure exists for the territory. Agriculture is mostly smallholder and subsistence with low-input methods but little formal certification, so the score reflects documented low-input rather than certified-organic farming.
✕ Energy, scored 2/5. French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent). Per person emissions are moderate at 3.27 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, held down by a small industrial base rather than by clean power. The territory has set a target of 75 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and is investing in sea water air conditioning and island solar, though outer islands remain almost entirely diesel powered. Progress is real but partial, and the grid is still fossil dominated.
✕ Water, scored 3/5. The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 2/5
No published organic-farmland figure exists for the territory. Agriculture is mostly smallholder and subsistence with low-input methods but little formal certification, so the score reflects documented low-input rather than certified-organic farming.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of French Polynesia's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Energy, 2/5
French Polynesia draws roughly two thirds of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, with renewables supplying about 30 per cent, led by hydropower on Tahiti (around 27 per cent) and a growing solar share (about 7 per cent).
Water, 3/5
The volcanic high islands such as Tahiti have rivers and springs and mains supply, and the Joint Monitoring Programme models around 90% of the population on safely managed water in 2022. The low coral atolls of the Tuamotus have no rivers or lakes and depend entirely on rainwater catchment, leaving supply precarious.
The French Polynesia Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in French Polynesia, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores French Polynesia
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
42.4
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
5.6
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
87.4
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
23.7
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
3.5
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
128 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
44.1 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
69.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
75.7 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
73.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
How French Polynesia Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 65 sources across 27 institutions
World Bank13 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2020 check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2024 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2020 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
Other published sources11 FIGURES
- Direction de l'environnement de la Polynesie francaise (DIREN) check
- Direction de l'environnement de la Polynésie française (DIREN), Les espaces naturels: aire marine gérée Tainui Atea, French Polynesia manages essentially its entire ocean space as a designated marine managed area, which the Wor check
- Direction de l'environnement de la Polynésie française (DIREN), Les espaces naturels: aire marine gérée Tainui Atea corroboration check
- Direction de l'environnement de la Polynésie française (DIREN), Les espaces naturels: aire marine gérée Tainui Atea corroboration check
- Direction de l'environnement de la Polynésie française (DIREN), Les espaces naturels: aire marine gérée Tainui Atea corroboration check
- Te Fare Tauhiti Nui - Maison de la Culture (public cultural institution of French Polynesia), official Heiva i Tahiti site, Tahitian dance, the fast ʻōteʻa and the swaying hura, is practised across the islands and celebrated each July check
- Te Fare Tauhiti Nui - Maison de la Culture (public cultural institution of French Polynesia), official Heiva i Tahiti site corroboration check
- Te Fare Tauhiti Nui - Maison de la Culture (public cultural institution of French Polynesia), official Heiva i Tahiti site corroboration check
- Te Fare Tauhiti Nui - Maison de la Culture (public cultural institution of French Polynesia), official Heiva i Tahiti site corroboration check
- Service du Patrimoine Archivistique et Audiovisuel - Te Piha Faufa'a Tupuna (French Polynesia's territorial archives) corroboration check
- Service du Patrimoine Archivistique et Audiovisuel - Te Piha Faufa'a Tupuna (French Polynesia's territorial archives) corroboration check
GBIF8 FIGURES
- IUCN Red List category for Pomarea nigra (from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species dataset published to GBIF by IUCN) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category for Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (turtle). check
- IUCN Red List category for Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category for Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category for Sphyrna lewini (scalloped hammerhead), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (shark or check
- IUCN Red List category for Sphyrna lewini (scalloped hammerhead), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category for Sphyrna lewini (scalloped hammerhead), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category for Sphyrna lewini (scalloped hammerhead), from the IUCN Red List dataset published to GBIF by IUCN corroboration check
BirdLife International4 FIGURES
- Data Zone species factsheet: Tahiti Monarch Pomarea nigra (IUCN Red List Authority for birds), Endemism is extraordinary: the Tahiti monarch is Critically Endangered with roughly 25 to 100 birds left, and check
- Data Zone species factsheet: Tahiti Monarch Pomarea nigra (IUCN Red List Authority for birds) corroboration check
- Data Zone species factsheet: Tahiti Monarch Pomarea nigra (IUCN Red List Authority for birds) corroboration check
- Data Zone species factsheet: Tahiti Monarch Pomarea nigra (IUCN Red List Authority for birds) corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics3 FIGURES
- public data API, indicator GER.2T3 (gross enrolment ratio, secondary, both sexes), geoUnit PYF, UNESCO's most recent education figures for French Polynesia are decades old, with secondary enrolment last rec check
- public data API, indicator GER.2T3 (gross enrolment ratio, secondary, both sexes), geoUnit PYF corroboration check
- public data API, indicator GER.2T3 (gross enrolment ratio, secondary, both sexes), geoUnit PYF corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, French Polynesia, 2025 (8.6%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, French Polynesia, 2025 (12.0%), country-reported check
CODIM2 FIGURES
- Communauté de Communes des Îles Marquises: Le Festival des Arts des Îles Marquises - Matava'a o te Henua Enata, The Marquesas run community-led tourism: the Matavaa festival is a grassroots event rotating among island comm check
- Communauté de Communes des Îles Marquises: Le Festival des Arts des Îles Marquises - Matava'a o te Henua Enata corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
IUCN Species Survival Commission2 FIGURES
165 adults at the end of 20251 FIGURE
- up from 154 in 2024, per the SOP Manu activity report published July 2026; the species page adds 150 across the three valleys in 2024 check
CBD1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 check
Coconuts 911 FIGURE
- 411 t, cassava 3,690 t, sugar cane 3,572 t in the 2024 FAOSTAT column; coconut oil is a processed commodity, not a crop grown, and carries no 2024 value at all check
Digithèque MJP1 FIGURE
- Université de Perpignan, Polynésie française, France declared a protectorate in 1842 and later annexed the islands. check
Fenua Ma1 FIGURE
- territorial waste-sorting service (Tahiti and Moorea) check
GBIF occurrence search1 FIGURE
- French Polynesia filtered to IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in French Polynesia in GBIF occurrence data (species) check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- French Polynesia elections and chambers check
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- French Polynesia electricity generation mix, 2022 check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions country profile (French Polynesia), 2024 check
SOP Manu (Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie)1 FIGURE
- Monarque de Tahiti species page corroboration check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UN Statistics Division, Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, French Polynesia, 2024 (7.9%), modelled estimate check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- NDC Registry check
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, population using safely managed drinking water (%) SH_H2O_SAFE, French Polynesia, 2024 (90.4%), modelled estimate check
World Bank / UNEP-WCMC WDPA1 FIGURE
- Terrestrial protected areas ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- Safely managed drinking water SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2022 check