Annual change in population in Tonga
Tonga: Annual change in population was -440 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
-440 people
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
205th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2,333 people
in 1975
All-time low
-574 people
in 2016
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Tonga, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, annual change in population in Tonga stood at -440 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Tonga peaked at 2,333 people in 1975 and was at its lowest, -574 people, in 2016.
That places Tonga 205th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Tonga, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 1,294 people | — |
| 1952 | 1,406 people | +8.7% |
| 1953 | 1,516 people | +7.8% |
| 1954 | 1,641 people | +8.2% |
| 1955 | 1,741 people | +6.1% |
| 1956 | 1,841 people | +5.7% |
| 1957 | 1,783 people | -3.2% |
| 1958 | 1,700 people | -4.7% |
| 1959 | 1,767 people | +3.9% |
| 1960 | 1,819 people | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 1,867 people | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 1,904 people | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 1,946 people | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 1,987 people | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 2,051 people | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 2,077 people | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 1,812 people | -12.8% |
| 1968 | 1,536 people | -15.2% |
| 1969 | 1,538 people | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 1,511 people | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 1,498 people | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 1,455 people | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 1,449 people | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 1,881 people | +29.8% |
| 1975 | 2,333 people | +24.0% |
| 1976 | 2,311 people | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 1,397 people | -39.5% |
| 1978 | 482 people | -65.5% |
| 1979 | 342 people | -29.0% |
| 1980 | 221 people | -35.4% |
| 1981 | 145 people | -34.4% |
| 1982 | 70 people | -51.7% |
| 1983 | 16 people | -77.1% |
| 1984 | -8 people | -150.0% |
| 1985 | -8 people | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 25 people | -412.5% |
| 1987 | 369 people | +1376.0% |
| 1988 | 591 people | +60.2% |
| 1989 | 434 people | -26.6% |
| 1990 | 298 people | -31.3% |
| 1991 | 194 people | -34.9% |
| 1992 | 134 people | -30.9% |
| 1993 | 75 people | -44.0% |
| 1994 | 67 people | -10.7% |
| 1995 | 53 people | -20.9% |
| 1996 | 54 people | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 397 people | +635.2% |
| 1998 | 715 people | +80.1% |
| 1999 | 652 people | -8.8% |
| 2000 | 637 people | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 610 people | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 583 people | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 593 people | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 607 people | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 596 people | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 582 people | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 478 people | -17.9% |
| 2008 | 292 people | -38.9% |
| 2009 | 183 people | -37.3% |
| 2010 | 196 people | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 169 people | -13.8% |
| 2012 | -108 people | -163.9% |
| 2013 | -383 people | +254.6% |
| 2014 | -466 people | +21.7% |
| 2015 | -517 people | +10.9% |
| 2016 | -574 people | +11.0% |
| 2017 | -163 people | -71.6% |
| 2018 | 217 people | -233.1% |
| 2019 | 98 people | -54.8% |
| 2020 | 33 people | -66.3% |
| 2021 | -217 people | -757.6% |
| 2022 | -451 people | +107.8% |
| 2023 | -440 people | -2.4% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's -440 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,200 people. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's -440 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,585 people. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Tonga changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +1376.0% | 25 people | 369 people |
| 2021 | -757.6% | 33 people | -217 people |
| 1997 | +635.2% | 54 people | 397 people |
| 1986 | +412.5% | -8 people | 25 people |
| 2013 | -254.6% | -108 people | -383 people |
| 2018 | +233.1% | -163 people | 217 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,632 people | 1,294 people | 1,841 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 1,854 people | 1,536 people | 2,077 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,466 people | 342 people | 2,333 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 185.5 people | -8 people | 591 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 263.9 people | 53 people | 715 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 516.1 people | 183 people | 637 people | 10 |
| 2010s | -153.1 people | -574 people | 217 people | 10 |
| 2020s | -268.75 people | -451 people | 33 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 202 Tuvalu -175 people compare
- 203 Dominica -316 people compare
- 204 San Marino -352 people compare
- 206 Cook Islands -503 people compare
- 207 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -732 people compare
- 208 United States Virgin Islands -809 people compare
More population data for Tonga
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0093 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.4068 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.0093 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 131.22 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8047 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3365 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Population density 163.72 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6,812 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Tonga?
- Annual change in population in Tonga was -440 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 2,333 people in 1975.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was -574 people in 2016.
- How does Tonga rank for annual change in population?
- Tonga ranks 205th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.