Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Overseas France - statistics & facts
In December 2024, a tropical cyclone named Chido impacted Southeast Africa, including the French overseas territory of Mayotte, the poorest French department. After the cyclone, Mayotte stayed for weeks without electricity and water. People living on the island claimed France had abandoned them, and government members were highly criticized for the insensitive treatment of the crisis. However, this was not the first time populations of the French overseas territories felt left behind and neglected by Metropolitan France and the government.
Different administrative characteristics
Originating in the former French colonial empire, the French overseas refers to 12 territories located in America, Oceania, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. Five of these territories; Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, La Réunion, and Mayotte, are regulated by Article 73 of the Constitution, meaning French laws and regulations are applicable there under the same conditions as in mainland France, unless the law or regulation provides otherwise. On the other hand, the following five; Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia, are called "overseas collectivities", and are governed by Article 74 of the Constitution. Their administrative organization, power distribution, and applicable law differ greatly from the common law in mainland France. Finally, New Caledonia and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, have specific statuses.High poverty and unemployment rates
On an economic level, French overseas territories are marked by higher poverty levels than the rest of the country. In 2022, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of the overseas regions was less than 28,000 euros (and even less than 12,000 euros in Mayotte), while the national average was way above that. Poverty rates are also much higher in overseas regions than in metropolitan France. In 2021, for example, the poverty rate in La Réunion was more than twice as high as in mainland France. This development gap is also reflected in the unemployment figures. For instance, in 2024, Guadeloupe had the highest unemployment rate among the overseas territories, and therefore the highest among all French regions.Tensions with metropolitan France
The crisis treatment in Mayotte after the cyclone is just one example that has brought tensions between an overseas territory and metropolitan France. A few months ago, New Caledonia was making the headlines when violent riots erupted after a proposition of constitutional review, going against New Caledonia native descendants. But in general, the protests and strikes that have swept through the French overseas departments in recent years (in French Guiana in 2017, Mayotte in 2018, Guadeloupe in 2021, and Martinique in 2024) highlight the economic and social fragility of the overseas territories, and their will to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with metropolitan France’s treatment.
