André Rougé· PfE

False

Agriculture supports nearly 50% of the population in Réunion.

Error detected

The claim that agriculture supports 'nearly 50%' of the population in Réunion is factually incorrect. Official INSEE statistics show that the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector represents only approximately 3-4% of employment in Réunion.

The services/tertiary sector actually accounts for 83% of employment in Réunion, not agriculture.

Omissions

• The claim significantly overstates the importance of agriculture in Réunion's economy. The actual employment in agriculture represents a small fraction (3-4%) of the working population, not 50%. The MEP may be conflating agriculture with other economic sectors or referring to an outdated historical period when sugar cane production was more dominant.
• The tertiary (services) sector accounts for 83% of employment in Réunion according to 2023 INSEE data.
• INSEE data from 2022 shows a total population of approximately 868,800 inhabitants in Réunion.

Sources

• PrimaryINSEE - L'essentiel sur La Réunion (2023 data)Le secteur tertiaire regroupe 83% des emplois à La Réunion (tertiary sector accounts for 83% of jobs in Réunion)
• PrimaryINSEE - Dossier complet Département de La Réunion (974)Population active, emploi et chômage au sens du recensement en 2022; agriculture employment data showing decline of -0.6% in agriculture vs -9.2% in mainland France
• PrimaryINSEE - Une population réunionnaise de plus en plus activeDans le secteur 'Agriculture, sylviculture, pêche' l'emploi résiste mieux à La Réunion (-0,6%) qu'en France métropolitaine (-9,2%)