Wallis and Futuna
Background
Around 800 B.C., the first settlers arrived on the islands of Wallis and Futuna, which are a natural midpoint between Fiji and Samoa. Around A.D. 1500, Tongans invaded Wallis, and a chiefdom system resembling Tonga’s formal hierarchy developed on the island. Tongans attempted to settle Futuna but were repeatedly rebuffed. Samoans settled Futuna in the 1600s, and a slightly less centralized chiefdom system formed. Dutch explorers were the first Europeans to see the islands in 1616, followed intermittently by other Europeans, including British explorer Samuel WALLIS in 1767. French Catholic missionaries were the first Europeans to permanently settle Wallis and Futuna in 1837, and they converted most of the population of both islands by 1846. The missionaries and newly converted King LAVELUA of Uvea on Wallis asked France for a protectorate in 1842 following a local rebellion. France agreed, although the protectorate status would not be ratified until 1887. In 1888, King MUSULAMU of Alo and King TAMOLE of Sigave, both on Futuna, signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate; the Wallis and Futuna protectorate was integrated into the territory of New Caledonia the same year. France renegotiated the terms of the protectorate with the territory’s three kings in 1910, expanding French authority. Wallis and Futuna was the only French colony to side with the Vichy regime during World War II, until the arrival of Free French and US troops in 1942. In 1959, inhabitants of the islands voted to separate from New Caledonia, becoming a French overseas territory in 1961. Despite the split, a significant Wallisian and Futunan community still lives in New Caledonia. In 2003, Wallis and Futuna became a French overseas collectivity. The islands joined the Pacific Islands Forum as an associate member in 2018, two years after France’s other Pacific territories became full members of the organization.
Area
Coastline
129 km
Elevation
Geographic coordinates
Geography - note
both island groups have fringing reefs; Wallis contains several prominent crater lakes
Irrigated land
0.6 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Location
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
cyclones; tsunamis
Natural resources
Terrain
volcanic origin; low hills
Age structure
Birth rate
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
57.2% (2018 est.)
Death rate
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 48.7 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 29 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 19.7 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 5.1 (2025 est.)
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
0.84 (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.1 years (2024 est.) male: 78.2 years female: 84.2 years
Literacy
total population: 99.8% (2023 est.) male: 99.9% (2023 est.) female: 100% (2023 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1,000 MATA-UTU (capital) (2018)
Median age
total: 36.9 years (2025 est.) male: 35.5 years female: 37.3 years
Nationality
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Net migration rate
-3.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population growth rate
0.19% (2025 est.)
Population
- breakdown
- {"male":{"value":8217,"unit":"people","formatted":"8,217","name":"Male Population"},"female":{"value":7781,"unit":"people","formatted":"7,781","name":"Female Population"}}
- meta
- {"year":2025}
Religions
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.71 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Climate
tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 250-300 cm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees Celsius
Environmental issues
deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) due to wood as the main fuel source; soil erosion; lack of natural freshwater resources; lack of soil fertility on the islands of Uvea and Futuna
Land use
agricultural land: 42.3% (2023 est.) arable land: 7% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 35.2% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.) forest: 74.9% (2023 est.) other: 0% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 0% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Administrative divisions
3 administrative precincts (circonscriptions, singular - circonscription) Alo, Sigave, Uvea
Capital
- name
- Mata-Utu
- geo
- {"lat":-13.95,"lng":-171.9333}
- timezone
- {"difference":"UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)","note":null,"dst":null}
- meta
- {}
Citizenship
see France
Constitution
history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) amendment process: French constitution amendment procedures apply
Country name
conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna local short form: Wallis et Futuna former: Hoorn Islands is the former name of the Futuna Islands etymology: Wallis Island is named after British Captain Samuel WALLIS, who visited in 1767; Futuna is a local name, and the meaning is unclear
Dependency status
overseas collectivity of France
Executive branch
chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Administrator Superior Jean-François de MANHEULLE (since 17 November 2025) head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Munipoese MULI'AKA'AKA (since 20 March 2022) cabinet: Council of the Territory appointed by the administrator superior on the advice of the Territorial Assembly election/appointment process: French president elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); administrator superior appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly elected by assembly members note: there are 3 traditional kings with limited powers
Flag
description: unofficial local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; a small flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper-left corner meaning: the triangles represent the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator history: the design is derived from a red flag with a white cross that French missionaries introduced in the 19th century note: the flag of France is used for official occasions
Government type
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Assembly); overseas collectivity of France
Independence
International organization participation
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Court of Assizes or Cour d'Assizes (consists of 1 judge; court hears primarily serious criminal cases) judge selection and term of office: NA subordinate courts: courts of first instance; labor court note 1: appeals beyond the Court of Assizes are heard before the Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel (in Noumea, New Caledonia) note 2: justice is generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the 3 traditional kings administer customary law
Legal system
French civil law
Legislative branch
legislature name: Territorial Assembly (Assemblée territoriale) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 20 (directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 3/20/2022 parties elected and seats per party: Ofa mo'oni ki tou fenua (2); Mauli fetokoniaki (2); 1 seat each from 16 other lists note: 1 senator is indirectly elected to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term, and 1 deputy is directly elected to the French National Assembly for a 5-year term
National anthem(s)
title: "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille) lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle history: official anthem, as a French territory
National color(s)
red, white
National holiday
National symbol(s)
red saltire (Saint Andrew's Cross) on a white square on a red field
Political parties
Left Radical Party or PRG (formerly Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians) Rally for Wallis and Futuna-The Republicans (Rassemblement pour Wallis and Futuna) or RPWF-LR Socialist Party or PS Taumu'a Lelei Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Agricultural products
Budget
revenues: $32.54 million (2015 est.) expenditures: $34.18 million (2015 est.)
Economic overview
lower-middle-income, agrarian French dependency economy; heavily reliant on French subsidies; licenses fishing rights to Japan and South Korea; major remittances from New Caledonia; aging workforce; import-dependent; deforestation-fueled fragility
Exchange rates
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - Exchange rates: 110.31 (2024 est.) 110.347 (2023 est.) 113.474 (2022 est.) 100.88 (2021 est.) 104.711 (2020 est.)
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Imports - commodities
Imports - partners
Industries
Broadcast media
publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which broadcasts to France's overseas departments, collectivities, and territories, is carried on the RFO Wallis and Fortuna TV and radio stations (2019)
Internet country code
.wf
Internet users
percent of population: 45.8% (2021 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 12,200 (2023) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (2023)
Airports
2 (2025)
Merchant marine
total: 1 (2023) by type: general cargo 1
Ports
total ports: 1 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 0 very small: 1 ports with oil terminals: 0 key ports: Mata-Utu
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France