If you lived in Tonga instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

live 12.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Tonga, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

be 70.3% more likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Tonga, that number is 48.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 91.8% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 2.3% as of 2023.

make 53.8% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,600 as of 2022.

be 24.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.

Life

be 52.0% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Tonga, on the other hand, 12.4 children do as of 2022.

have 11.3% more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Tonga, that number is 100% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 38.4% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Tonga, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 85.0% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Tonga: At a glance

Tonga is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 717 sq km. Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
Read more

How big is Tonga compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tonga.or South Africa It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.