French Polynesia: Merchandise trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, French Polynesia's merchandise trade (% of GDP) fell 2.74 percentage points on 2023 (from 41.48% to 38.74%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.45 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.96 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 19.04 percentage points in 1966 and the biggest yearly fall was 27.85 percentage points in 1967. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.12 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 58% 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.

How it compares

In 2024, French Polynesia had the 6th highest value of the 10 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to French Polynesia in the 2024 ranking

• Curaçao — 3rd of 10: 71.55%
• New Caledonia — 4th of 10: 41.09%
• Aruba — 5th of 10: 39.66%
• Bahamas, The — 7th of 10: 35.58%
• Cayman Islands — 8th of 10: 26.44%
• Turks and Caicos Islands — 9th of 10: 26.24%

What this measures

General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 60 values

Merchandise trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 117.68% (2022)
• Australia — 36.04% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 109.99% (2025)
• Cambodia — 127.1% (2025)
• China — 32.59% (2025)
• Fiji — 70.62% (2025)
• Guam — 18.42% (2022)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 371.02% (2025)
• Indonesia — 36.3% (2025)
• Japan — 33.68% (2025)
• Kiribati — 147.76% (2025)

More private sector & trade data for French Polynesia

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$2.45 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$175 million (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 0.8% (2025)
• Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 17.61% (2025)
• Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 0.46% (2025)
• Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 40.39% (2025)
• Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 0.48% (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials exports (% of merchandise exports) — 0.46% (2025)
• Food exports (% of merchandise exports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is French Polynesia's merchandise trade (% of GDP)?

38.74% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1965?

It is down 27.53 percentage points from 66.28% in 1965. The highest value was 85.32% in 1966 and the lowest 26.87% in 1992.

How does French Polynesia rank?

6th highest of 10 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in merchandise trade (% of GDP) unusual for French Polynesia?

In 2024, French Polynesia's merchandise trade (% of GDP) fell 2.74 percentage points on 2023 (from 41.48% to 38.74%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.45 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.96 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TG.VAL.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Trade Organization (WTO); World Bank GDP estimates, World Bank (WB); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.