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

Health

live 5.4 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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 10.3 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Tonga, that number is 48.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 12.9% less likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 2.3% as of 2023.

make 87.0% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,600 as of 2022.

be 43.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.

Life

have 2.8 times more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Tonga, there are 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 15.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Tonga, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 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.

Basic Needs

be 31.6% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Tonga, about 67.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 36.9% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Tonga, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 40.4% more on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Tonga spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 82.6% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 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.
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How big is Tonga compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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