French Polynesia: the labour market
Labour force is 120,628 (2025), 179th of 187 in the world and 26th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Participation rate is 52.4% (2025), 148th of 187 in the world and 26th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Women's participation is 46.6% (2025), 134th of 187 in the world and 25th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific.
Labour: French Polynesia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 120,6282025 | 179/187 | 26/29 | 95,603 | 112,569 | 119,656 | +2.3%since 2015 | 1.3bn | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 52.4%2025 | 148/187 | 26/29 | 58.6% | 56.2% | 54.5% | −3.6 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 46.6%2025 | 134/187 | 25/29 | 47.9% | 48.4% | 48.3% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 58.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 46.3%2025 | 157/187 | 28/29 | 51.8% | 49.3% | 47.4% | −3.1 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 11.7%2025 | 28/187 | 1/29 | 11.6% | 12.1% | 13.0% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 3.8% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 12.5%2025 | 34/187 | 1/29 | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.9% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 3.4% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 36.6%2025 | 12/187 | 1/29 | 32.5% | 35.1% | 41.5% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 12.5% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 81.8%2025 | 57/187 | 9/29 | 75.8% | 81.1% | 81.0% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 14.8%2025 | 131/187 | 20/29 | 20.9% | 15.5% | 15.6% | −0.9 ppsince 2015 | 35.3% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 1.9%2025 | 161/187 | 23/29 | 4.4% | 2.7% | 2.3% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 14.3%2025 | 146/187 | 20/29 | 16.8% | 15.9% | 14.4% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 28.5% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 83.7%2025 | 11/187 | 4/29 | 78.8% | 81.4% | 83.3% | +1.3 ppsince 2015 | 49.9% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Better than ten years ago
- Unemployment−0.1 pp11.7% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.3 pp12.5% in 2025
- Wage workers+0.9 pp81.8% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−0.9 pp14.8% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−2.4 pp46.6% in 2025
- Employment rate−3.1 pp46.3% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+1.0 pp36.6% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
French Polynesia and its nearest countries
French Polynesia has no land border; compared with the closest countries by distance between capitals. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | French Polynesia | American Samoa | Samoa | Tonga | Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 120,6282025 | — | 57,7762025 | 33,6282025 | 61.7m2025 |
| Participation rate | 52.4%2025 | — | 42.5%2025 | 49.8%2025 | 61.6%2025 |
| Women's participation | 46.6%2025 | — | 30.7%2025 | 42.3%2025 | 47.5%2025 |
| Employment rate | 46.3%2025 | — | 40.4%2025 | 48.8%2025 | 60.0%2025 |
| Unemployment | 11.7%2025 | — | 5.0%2025 | 2.0%2025 | 2.7%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 12.5%2025 | — | 7.3%2025 | 2.5%2025 | 2.7%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 36.6%2025 | — | 13.0%2025 | 6.0%2025 | 5.7%2025 |
| Wage workers | 81.8%2025 | — | 55.5%2025 | 58.2%2025 | 69.2%2025 |
| Vulnerable employment | 14.8%2025 | — | 41.6%2025 | 33.7%2025 | 25.3%2025 |