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PEOPLE OF TONGA
Name of the People: noun: Tongan(s); adjective: Tongan.
Ethnic Groups: Tongan 97 percent, part-Tongan 0.8 percent, other 2.2 percent, unspecified <0.1 percent (2016 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: Tongan and English 76.8 percent, Tongan, English, and other language 10.6 percent, Tongan only (official) 8.7 percent, English only (official) 0.7 percent, other 1.7 percent, none 2.2 percent (2016 estimate). Data represent persons aged 5 and older who can read and write a simple sentence in Tongan, English, or another language. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Religions: Protestant 64.1 percent (includes Free Wesleyan Church 35 percent, Free Church of Tonga 11.9 percent, Church of Tonga 6.8 percent, Assembly of God 2.3 percent, Seventh Day Adventist 2.2 percent, Tokaikolo Christian Church 1.6 percent, other 4.3 percent), Church of Jesus Christ 18.6 percent, Roman Catholic 14.2 percent, other 2.4 percent, none 0.5 percent, unspecified 0.1 percent (2016 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of Tonga
Population: 105,221 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 191. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: -0.3 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 214; Birth rate: 20.02 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 69; Death rate: 4.95 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 196; Net migration rate: -18.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 228. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Distribution: over two-thirds of the population lives on the island of Tongatapu; only 45 of the nation's 171 islands are occupied. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of Tonga
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 29.92 percent (male 15,989/female 15,491); 15-64 years: 62.79 percent (male 33,330/female 32,741); 65 years and over: 7.29 percent (2023 estimate) (male 3,453/female 4,217). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 68.6; youth dependency ratio: 58.5; elderly dependency ratio: 10.5; potential support ratio: 9.5 (2021 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 24.1 years; male: 23.6 years; female: 24.5 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 166. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 23.2 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 0.99 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 23,000 NUKU'ALOFA (2018)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 2.7 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 59; Gross reproduction rate: 1.33 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: 29.3 percent (2019). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female; 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female; total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Married Women (ages 15-49): 54.9 percent (2023 estimate)
Child Marriage: women married by age 15: 0.4 percent; women married by age 18: 10.1 percent; men married by age 18: 2.8 percent (2019 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Mother’s Mean Age at First Birth: .24.9 years (2012 estimate). Data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Health of the People of Tonga
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 77.78 years; male: 76.14 years; female: 79.47 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 88. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 12.1 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 13.09 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 11.09 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 113. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 48.2 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 7. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 169. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Percentage of Population That Uses Tobacco: total: 31 percent (2020 estimate); male: 46.7 percent (2020 estimate); female: 15.3 percent (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 27. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Children Under the Age of Five Years That Are Underweight 0.8 percent (2019); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 124. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Maternal Mortality Ratio: 126 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 61. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: 99.8 percent of population; rural: 99.6 percent of population; total: 99.6 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 0.2 percent of population; rural: 0.4 percent of population; total: 0.4 percent of population (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023