“We can estimate that 15% of households are in poverty in terms of housing conditions”

This, at any rate, is the conclusion of a new report from the Institute of Statistics (ISPf), based on the 2022 Polynesian Census.

Still, when focusing on housing, ISPF tempers this by estimating (hence the title of the note): “Housing conditions for Polynesian families have improved over the past decade”. This improvement in the situation is due in part to policies implemented by the Office of Polynesian Housing (OPH) during this period.

As of the 2022 census, French Polynesia has 101,400 dwellings, of which 81% are principal residences. Of these, more than 86% are individual dwellings and 12% are collective dwellings.

Another important factor to emphasize: it seems “91% of main residences in French Polynesia achieve basic sanitary comfort levels, excluding Tuamotu Gambier (TG)”.

Finally, note that to define poverty in housing conditions, eight criteria are used: unstable housing, no electricity, no running water, no sewage system, no indoor toilet, no bathtub or indoor shower, no kitchen, no washing machine. Using this methodology, 38,500 people (excluding Tuamotu Gambier) live in housing lacking at least one of these criteria, or 15% of the total housing stock. In 2012, using a similar methodology, 19% of Polynesian housing (excluding TG) was affected.