Insee Première · April 2021 · n° 1853

People from the Antilles, French Guiana and Mayotte commonly leave the region of their birth, unlike those from Réunion

In 2017, a third of people aged 15 to 64 originally from the Antilles, French Guiana or Mayotte were living in another French région, which is a comparable proportion to that found for the régions of Metropolitan France closest to Paris. A higher proportion of people from these French overseas départements are leaving the région of their birth than in the past, especially in the case of Mayotte. People from Réunion, on the other hand, are significantly less mobile.

Young people in particular are more likely to leave the région where they were born. Indeed, the main reasons for leaving to go to Metropolitan France are to study or to look for a job. People tend to return around the age of thirty, with women returning slightly sooner than men. People return to Mayotte at an earlier age than to other French overseas départements.

Those living outside the région of their birth are more highly qualified, whether they were born in an overseas or provincial région. However, even in the case of those living elsewhere, people born in overseas départements still have a lower educational level than those from provincial départements. Educational qualifications remain the primary key to gaining employment for young people born in French overseas départements, rather than their experience of mobility.