Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Tonga. The western islands (making up the Tongan Volcanic Arch) are all of volcanic origin; the eastern islands are nonvolcanic and are composed of coral limestone and sand. Mother's mean age at first birth is 24.9 years (2012 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 126 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Location | Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
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Geographic coordinates | 20 00 S, 175 00 W |
Map references | Oceania |
Tarrain | mostly flat islands with limestone bedrock formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic rock |
Natural Resources | arable land, fish |
Natural Hazards | cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou volcanism: moderate volcanic activity; Fonualei (180 m) has shown frequent activity in recent years, while Niuafo'ou (260 m), which last erupted in 1985, has forced evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Late and Tofua |
Irrigated Land | 0 sq km (2022) |
Major rivers (by length in km) | |
Major aquifers | |
Land Boundaries | 0 km |
Border Countries | |
Coastline | 419 km |
Climate | tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
Area | |
Total Area | |
Land Area | 717 sq km |
Water Area | 30 sq km |
comparative Area | four times the size of Washington, DC |
Maritime Claims | |
Territorial sea | 12 nm |
Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
Continental shelf | 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Elevations | |
Highest point | Kao Volcano on Kao Island 1,046 m |
Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 m |
Land Use | |
Agricultural land | 43.1% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 22.2% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 15.3% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 5.6% (2018 est.) |
Forest | 12.5% (2018 est.) |
Other | 44.4% (2018 est.) |
Over two-thirds of the population lives on the island of Tongatapu; only 45 of the nation's 171 islands are occupied
In Tonga, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Tongan 96.5%, other (European, Fijian, Samoan, Indian, Chinese, other Pacific Islander, other Asian, other) 3.5% (2021 est.)
Population | |
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Pop growth rate | -0.34% (2024 est.) |
Birth rate | 19.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Death rate | 5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Health expenditure | 5.3% of GDP (2020) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | |
Total fertility rate | 2.65 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 1.3 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 29.3% (2019) |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 54.9% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | can read and write Tongan and/or English |
Education expenditures | 6.6% of GDP (2021 est.) |
Net Migration rate | -18.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Nationality | Tongan | Tongan(s) |
Languages | Tongan only 85%, Tongan and other language 13.9%, Tongan not used at home 1.1% (2021 est.) |
Religions | Protestant 63.9% (Free Wesleyan Church 34.2%, Free Church of Tonga 11.3%, Church of Tonga 6.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.5%, Assembly of God 2.5%, Tokaikolo/Maamafo'ou 1.5%, Constitutional Church of Tonga 1.2%, other Protestant 4%), Church of Jesus Christ 19.7%, Roman Catholic 13.7%, other 2.1%, none 0.6%, no answer 0.1% (2021 est.) |
Age Structure | |
0-14 years | 29.3% (male 15,627/female 15,142) |
15-64 years | 63.2% (male 33,445/female 32,867) |
65 years and over | 7.4% (2024 est.) (male 3,534/female 4,274) |
Dependency Ratios | |
Total dependency ratio | 68.6 |
Youth dependency ratio | 58.5 |
Elderly dependency ratio | 10.5 |
Potential support ratio | 9.5 (2021 est.) |
Median Age | |
Total | 25.9 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 25.4 years |
Female | 26.4 years |
Urbanization | |
Urban population | 23.2% of total population (2023) |
Rate of urbanization | 0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Major urban areas (Pop) | 23,000 NUKU'ALOFA (2018). |
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 | 0.83 male(s)/female |
Total population | 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
Infant Motality | |
Total | 11.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
Male | 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
Female | 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life Expectancy at birth | |
Total population | 78 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 76.4 years |
Female | 79.7 years |
Drinking Water Sources | |
Improved: urban | urban: 99.8% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 99.6% of population |
Improved: total | total: 99.6% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 0.2% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 0.4% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: 99.4% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 98.8% of population |
Improved: total | total: 98.9% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 0.6% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 1.2% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.) |
Alcohol consumption per capita | |
Total | 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Beer | 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Wine | 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Spirits | 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Other alcohols | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Tobacco use | |
Total | 31% (2020 est.) |
Male | 46.7% (2020 est.) |
Female | 15.3% (2020 est.) |
Child marriage | |
Women married by age 15 | 0.4% |
Women married by age 18 | 10.1% |
Men married by age 18 | 2.8% (2019 est.) |
Want to know more about Tonga? Check all different factbooks for Tonga below.