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