South Africa vs Tonga: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol
South Africa
57.9%
in 2020
Tonga
58.4%
in 2020
South Africa rank
60th
Tonga rank
58th
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol over time
- South Africa
- Tonga
How they compare
Tonga currently reports 58.4% against 57.9% in South Africa, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 21 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 60th and Tonga ranks 58th of 187 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Tonga in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Tonga | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57.6% | 56.0% | 1.6% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 55.5% | 58.2% | 2.8% | Tonga |
| 2020s | 57.9% | 58.4% | 0.4% | Tonga |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population who haver never drunk alcohol, South Africa or Tonga?
- Tonga, at 58.4% against 57.9% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population who haver never drunk alcohol between South Africa and Tonga?
- 0.5%, with Tonga ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tonga?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
- How do South Africa and Tonga rank globally for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- South Africa ranks 60th and Tonga ranks 58th of 187 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Lifetime abstinence is defined as the proportion of adults (15+ years) in a given population who have not consumed any alcohol during their lifetime.