In its latest demographic report, INSEE estimates the population of Réunion at 860,000 inhabitants as of January 1, 2020.. A population that continues to grow at a rate greater than that of the metropolis : + 0,5% per year between 2010 and 2020, against + 0,3%.
The natural balance, difference between births and deaths, remains the engine of island population growth. However, it decreases in 2019, under the combined effect of a decline in births (13 200) and a slight increase in deaths (5 100) and reached its lowest level since 1951.
Fertility remains high and significantly higher than that of the metropolis (2,38 children per woman compared to 1,84). Life expectancy is improving for men (78,5 ans) as for women (84,7 ans). Infant mortality (6,6 deaths per 1,000 children born alive) remains higher than in metropolitan France (3,6 deaths per 1,000 live births). INSEE also studied the evolution of deaths occurring during the health crisis, from March to October 2020. Their number increased slightly compared to the same period of 2019 (88 additional deaths, + 2,6%). But this increase is significantly lower than that observed in metropolitan France (+ 10 %) and mainly results from the aging of the population.
