Annual population growth in Tonga
Tonga: Annual population growth was -440 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
-440
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
205th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2,333
in 1975
All-time low
-574
in 2016
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual population growth in Tonga, 1951–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, annual population growth in Tonga stood at -440.
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 population growth in Tonga peaked at 2,333 in 1975 and was at its lowest, -574, 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 population growth in Tonga, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 1,294 | — |
| 1952 | 1,406 | +8.7% |
| 1953 | 1,516 | +7.8% |
| 1954 | 1,641 | +8.2% |
| 1955 | 1,741 | +6.1% |
| 1956 | 1,841 | +5.7% |
| 1957 | 1,783 | -3.2% |
| 1958 | 1,700 | -4.7% |
| 1959 | 1,767 | +3.9% |
| 1960 | 1,819 | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 1,867 | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 1,904 | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 1,946 | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 1,987 | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 2,051 | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 2,077 | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 1,812 | -12.8% |
| 1968 | 1,536 | -15.2% |
| 1969 | 1,538 | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 1,511 | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 1,498 | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 1,455 | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 1,449 | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 1,881 | +29.8% |
| 1975 | 2,333 | +24.0% |
| 1976 | 2,311 | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 1,397 | -39.5% |
| 1978 | 482 | -65.5% |
| 1979 | 342 | -29.0% |
| 1980 | 221 | -35.4% |
| 1981 | 145 | -34.4% |
| 1982 | 70 | -51.7% |
| 1983 | 16 | -77.1% |
| 1984 | -8 | -150.0% |
| 1985 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 25 | -412.5% |
| 1987 | 369 | +1376.0% |
| 1988 | 591 | +60.2% |
| 1989 | 434 | -26.6% |
| 1990 | 298 | -31.3% |
| 1991 | 194 | -34.9% |
| 1992 | 134 | -30.9% |
| 1993 | 75 | -44.0% |
| 1994 | 67 | -10.7% |
| 1995 | 53 | -20.9% |
| 1996 | 54 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 397 | +635.2% |
| 1998 | 715 | +80.1% |
| 1999 | 652 | -8.8% |
| 2000 | 637 | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 610 | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 583 | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 593 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 607 | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 596 | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 582 | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 478 | -17.9% |
| 2008 | 292 | -38.9% |
| 2009 | 183 | -37.3% |
| 2010 | 196 | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 169 | -13.8% |
| 2012 | -108 | -163.9% |
| 2013 | -383 | +254.6% |
| 2014 | -466 | +21.7% |
| 2015 | -517 | +10.9% |
| 2016 | -574 | +11.0% |
| 2017 | -163 | -71.6% |
| 2018 | 217 | -233.1% |
| 2019 | 98 | -54.8% |
| 2020 | 33 | -66.3% |
| 2021 | -217 | -757.6% |
| 2022 | -451 | +107.8% |
| 2023 | -440 | -2.4% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's -440 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,200. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's -440 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,585. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual population growth 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 | 369 |
| 2021 | -757.6% | 33 | -217 |
| 1997 | +635.2% | 54 | 397 |
| 1986 | +412.5% | -8 | 25 |
| 2013 | -254.6% | -108 | -383 |
| 2018 | +233.1% | -163 | 217 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,632 | 1,294 | 1,841 | 9 |
| 1960s | 1,854 | 1,536 | 2,077 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,466 | 342 | 2,333 | 10 |
| 1980s | 185.5 | -8 | 591 | 10 |
| 1990s | 263.9 | 53 | 715 | 10 |
| 2000s | 516.1 | 183 | 637 | 10 |
| 2010s | -153.1 | -574 | 217 | 10 |
| 2020s | -268.75 | -451 | 33 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 202 Tuvalu -175 compare
- 203 Dominica -316 compare
- 204 San Marino -352 compare
- 206 Cook Islands -503 compare
- 207 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -732 compare
- 208 United States Virgin Islands -809 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)
- Population growth rate -0.013 (2100)
- Population density 163.72 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 6,812 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual population growth in Tonga?
- Annual population growth in Tonga was -440 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 2,333 in 1975.
- What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was -574 in 2016.
- How does Tonga rank for annual population growth?
- Tonga ranks 205th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual population growth 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).