In Mayotte, “the figures put forward of 400,000 to 500,000 inhabitants are very improbable”, according to the director general of INSEE

The political debate on the future of Mayotte after Cyclone Chido stumbles on one question: what is the real population of 101^e French department, estimated at 320,000 inhabitants by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) on 1^is January 2024, but that its elected officials estimate closer to 500,000 due to irregular immigration? On what basis should we calibrate the national solidarity promised by the government, whose emergency bill on reconstruction is being examined in the National Assembly on Monday January 20, before a program law promised for the month of March?

The updated census was due to be completed in 2025, but the Prime Minister announced that he wanted to relaunch the exercise. “We need to talk about serious and verified figures. For the moment, there is no reliable census in Mayotte. We're going to do this”declared François Bayrou, on December 31, 2024, from Reunion Island, thus seeming to admit that the State no longer knew how to count its population. Before the Economic Affairs Committee on January 13, the Overseas Minister, Manuel Valls, also mentioned “probably” the figure of 500,000 inhabitants, judging “the fundamental census question”.

You have 85.74% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.