The first humans settled Wallis and Futuna around 800 B.C. The islands were 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. The missionaries converted most of the population of Wallis by 1842 and of Futuna by 1846. The missionaries and newly-converted King LAVELUA of Uvea on Wallis asked France for a protectorate in 1842 following a rebellion of locals. 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 that 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 and become a French overseas territory, a status it assumed in 1961. Despite the split, a significant Wallisian and Futunan community still lives in New Caledonia. In 2003, Wallis and Futuna’s designation changed to that of an overseas collectivity. Wallis and Futuna became an associate member of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2018, two years after France’s other Pacific territories became full members of the organization.
land: 142 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
arable land: 7.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 35.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
forest: 41.9% (2018 est.)
other: 15.3% (2018 est.)
15,929 (2023 est.)
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders
adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Polynesian
Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language) 58.9%, Futunian 30.1%, French (official) 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 est.)
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
0-14 years: 19.98% (male 1,660/female 1,523)
15-64 years: 67.86% (male 5,535/female 5,275)
65 years and over: 12.15% (2023 est.) (male 989/female 947)
total dependency ratio: 57
youth dependency ratio: 36.6
elderly dependency ratio: 20.4
potential support ratio: 4.9 (2021)
total: 35.8 years (2023 est.)
male: 34.9 years
female: 36.6 years
0.23% (2023 est.)
12.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
5.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia
urban population: 0% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1,000 MATA-UTU (capital) (2018)
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: 1.04 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
total: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 80.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 77.9 years
female: 84 years
1.71 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.83 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: NA
rural: 99.1% of population
total: 99.1% of population
unimproved: urban: NA
rural: 0.9% of population
total: 0.9% of population (2020)
NA
NA
improved: urban: NA
rural: 92.9% of population
total: 92.9% of population
unimproved: urban: NA
rural: 7.1% of population
total: 7.1% of population (2020 est.)
NA
56% (2023)
NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural freshwater resources; lack of soil fertility on the islands of Uvea and Futuna negatively impacts agricultural productivity
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
agricultural land: 42.8% (2018 est.)
arable land: 7.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 35.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
forest: 41.9% (2018 est.)
other: 15.3% (2018 est.)
urban population: 0% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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
$60 million (2004 est.)
NA
$3,800 (2004 est.)
$195 million (2005) (2005)
0.9% (2015)
2.8% (2005)
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA
household consumption: 26% (2005)
government consumption: 54% (2005)
coconuts, breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish
copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
NA
4,482 (2013)
8.8% (2013 est.)
12.2% (2008 est.)
NA
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
revenues: $32.54 million (2015 est.)
expenditures: $34.18 million (2015 est.)
-0.8% (of GDP) (2015 est.)
5.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
note: offical data; data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
16.7% (of GDP) (2015 est.)
calendar year
$47,450 (2004 est.)
Singapore 47%, France 32%, Belgium 9% (2019)
integrated circuits, jewelry, cars, aircraft parts, polyacetals (2019)
$61.17 million (2004 est.)
France 43%, Fiji 24%, New Zealand 11%, Australia 6% (2019)
refined petroleum, beef products, poultry meats, engine parts, packaged medicines (2019)
$3.67 million (2004)
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
110.2 (2015 est.)
89.8 (2014 est.)
89.85 (2013 est.)
90.56 (2012 est.)
manyapis
</div>2 (2021)
2
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
total: 1 (2021)
by type: other 1
major seaport(s): Leava, Mata-Utu