World Sites & Apps
Oceania · #180 · 2025–2026

French Polynesia: internet and everyday apps

French Polynesia has about 220 thousand people online — a penetration rate of 78.6% and rank #180 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 11 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 220 thousand Penetration 78.6% World rank #180 Updated 2026-11-12
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TL;DR
  • French Polynesia has roughly 220 thousand internet users (220,000 people) — about 78.6% of the population and rank #180 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, Travel, Tools and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

French Polynesia in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
220 thousand220,000 · #180
Penetration
78.6%#117
Population
280 thousand280,000 · #181
GDP
$6B#169
GDP growth
+1.1%#178
GDP per person
$22,500#75
Land area
4.2k km²#171
Capital
Papeete
Region
Oceania
Official languages
French, Tahitian

How French Polynesia goes online

In Papeete, Facebook works like the village square: news, lost parcels, concert notices and family photographs all land there before anywhere else. WhatsApp fills in the conversations and the work groups. Tourist services are booked online, and the local news sites, Tahiti Infos among them, get read every morning. Between the islands everything depends on the mobile network, and one broken boat link or one damaged cable is enough to remind people how large the ocean still is.

Around 78.6%. With a population of about 280 thousand and 220 thousand online, roughly 60 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 11 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

11 Most-used apps

Messaging

1 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Instagram Social · Meta · 2010 Facebook Social · Meta · 2004

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 Netflix Video · Netflix, Inc. · 1997

Shopping

1 Most-used apps →
Amazon Shopping · Amazon.com, Inc. · 1994

Payments

1 Most-used apps →
PayPal Payments · PayPal · 1998

Mobility

1 Most-used apps →
Uber Mobility · Uber Technologies · 2009

Travel

1 Most-used apps →
Booking.com Travel · Booking Holdings · 1996

Tools

2 Most-used apps →
Google Tools · Google · 1998 Gmail Tools · Google · 2004

Websites people in French Polynesia actually use

7

The 7 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

News2Government2Travel1Transport1Education1
Tahiti InfosNewstahiti-infos.comPapeete’s busiest news site — politics, the ferry timetables and the cost of living. Tahiti NewsNewstahitinews.coA second daily news site, read for Assembly debates and a comments section that argues back. Service Public de la Polynésie françaiseGovernmentservice-public.pfThe public services portal — permits, licences, land tax and the forms for every administrative errand. Government of French PolynesiaGovernmentpresidence.pfThe presidency and its services. Tahiti TourismeTraveltahititourisme.comThe tourism board site — Moorea, Bora Bora, the Tuamotu atolls and the ferries and flights between them. Air Tahiti NuiTransportairtahitinui.comFrench Polynesia's long-haul carrier, flying from Papeete to Paris, Los Angeles and Tokyo. University of French PolynesiaEducationupf.pfThe territory’s university.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in French Polynesia are online?

About 220 thousand (220,000 people). That works out to roughly 78.6% of the population, which puts French Polynesia at #180 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in French Polynesia use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, Travel, Tools. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in French Polynesia?

WhatsApp dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in French Polynesia?

Around 78.6%. With a population of about 280 thousand and 220 thousand online, roughly 60 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in French Polynesia?

The everyday ones are Tahiti Infos, Tahiti News, Service Public de la Polynésie française, plus the other 7 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “French Polynesia: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/pf-en.html