INSEE recently published statistics for “reference populations” in all the municipalities on the island., figures which serve in particular as a basis for the allocation of different allocations.
As of January 1, 2023, 889,700 people resided in Reunion. The island's population increased by 0,7% on annual average since 2017, a more sustained pace than in mainland France (+0,4 %). The population growth of the island, higher than that of the period 2012-2017, is always carried by the natural balance. Between 2017 and 2023, the population is growing more strongly in the North (+1 % per year). In the West, the number of inhabitants increases at the regional rate, after stagnating between 2012 and 2017. In the East and the South, the population is growing a little slower (+0,5% per year). It is increasing in most municipalities, but on the other hand stagnates in Port and Salazie and decreases in Cilaos and Saint-Philippe.
