Urban population growth in French Polynesia
French Polynesia: Urban population growth was 0.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in French Polynesia, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in French Polynesia stood at 0.3%.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 52.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in French Polynesia peaked at 5.9% in 1966 and was at its lowest, -0.3%, in 2019.
That places French Polynesia 169th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in French Polynesia, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.2% | — |
| 1962 | 4.3% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 5.0% | +17.6% |
| 1964 | 5.8% | +14.6% |
| 1965 | 5.9% | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 5.9% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 5.9% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 5.8% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 5.7% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 5.5% | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 5.3% | -4.3% |
| 1972 | 5.3% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 5.3% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 5.0% | -4.4% |
| 1975 | 4.6% | -8.7% |
| 1976 | 4.0% | -13.9% |
| 1977 | 3.3% | -17.6% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | -5.6% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 3.0% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | -10.7% |
| 1985 | 2.4% | -7.8% |
| 1986 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | -12.2% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | -15.9% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | -11.8% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | -10.2% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | -8.3% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +14.5% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +15.4% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +32.2% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | +14.3% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 2.2% | -17.7% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -19.0% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -11.8% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -18.9% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -27.3% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -19.6% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -12.9% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -14.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -34.2% |
| 2018 | -0.1% | -128.3% |
| 2019 | -0.3% | +193.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | -113.2% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +329.9% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | -20.9% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | +109.4% |
| 2024 | 0.3% | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 0.3% | +5.6% |
French Polynesia compared with similar countries
- French Polynesia's 0.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 46% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- French Polynesia's 0.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 32% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth in French Polynesia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +329.9% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | -193.0% | -0.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | -128.3% | 0.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | +113.2% | -0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | +109.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.4% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.4% | 3.1% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.0% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | -0.3% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near French Polynesia
More climate change data for French Polynesia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 480,465 kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 66.37 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 49.54 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0635 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2.68 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2.68 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0.0028 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0101 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in French Polynesia?
- Urban population growth in French Polynesia was 0.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in French Polynesia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1966.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in French Polynesia?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.3% in 2019.
- How does French Polynesia rank for urban population growth?
- French Polynesia ranks 169th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in French Polynesia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this French Polynesia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.