French Polynesia: Current account balance (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2016, French Polynesia's current account balance (current US$, BoP) rose US$120.78 million on 2015 (from US$291.18 million to US$411.96 million).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2015), the average change was +US$21.93 million and a typical year strayed about US$261.28 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$305.01 million in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was US$702.12 million in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2016 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$54.81 million a year. A straight line explains 43% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to French Polynesia in the 2016 ranking

• New Caledonia — 2nd of 3: −US$654.24 million
• Yemen, Rep. — 3rd of 3: −US$2.42 billion

What this measures

Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 15 values

Current account balance (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Australia — −US$49.74 billion (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — US$2.71 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — −US$1.91 billion (2025)
• China — US$735.02 billion (2025)
• Fiji — −US$464.37 million (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$52.33 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — −US$1.25 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$215.77 billion (2025)
• Kiribati — −US$53.17 million (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — US$123.05 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for French Polynesia

• GNI (current US$) — US$7.01 billion (2024)
• GNI (current LCU) — 773.67 billion (2024)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 2.75 million (2024)
• GDP (current US$) — US$6.32 billion (2024)
• GDP (current LCU) — 697.55 billion (2024)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$5.87 billion (2024)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 571.89 billion (2024)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$22,440 (2024)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 2.48 million (2024)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$20,847 (2024)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is French Polynesia's current account balance (current US$, BoP)?

US$411.96 million in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is up 6,693% from US$6.06 million in 2002 (35.16% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$411.96 million in 2016 and the lowest −US$430.76 million in 2008.

Is the latest change in current account balance (current US$, BoP) unusual for French Polynesia?

In 2016, French Polynesia's current account balance (current US$, BoP) rose US$120.78 million on 2015 (from US$291.18 million to US$411.96 million). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2015), the average change was +US$21.93 million and a typical year strayed about US$261.28 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.CAB.XOKA.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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