Birth rate in Tonga
Tonga: Birth rate was 23.12 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
23.12 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
60th
of 236 countries
All-time high
44.62 births per 1,000 people
in 1957
All-time low
23.12 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Tonga, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Tonga stood at 23.12 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Tonga peaked at 44.62 births per 1,000 people in 1957 and was at its lowest, 23.12 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Tonga ranks 60th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Tonga, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.26 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 43.65 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 44.03 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 44.39 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 44.57 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 44.62 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 44.56 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 44.62 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 44.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 44.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 44.3 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1961 | 43.86 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1962 | 43.42 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 42.9 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 42.38 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 41.87 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 41.37 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1967 | 41.05 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 40.3 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1969 | 39.63 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 38.76 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 37.8 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 37 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 36.5 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 36.05 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 35.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 35.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 35.74 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 35.99 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 36.1 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 36.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 36 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 35.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 35.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 35.39 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 34.92 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 34.35 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 33.68 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 33.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 33.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 33.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 33.17 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 32.98 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 32.66 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 32.17 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 31.43 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 30.58 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 29.85 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 29.75 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 29.64 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 29.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 29.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 29.55 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 29.89 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 30 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 30.01 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 29.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 29.04 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 28.72 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 28.4 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 28.01 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 27.66 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 27.28 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 26.87 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 26.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 25.83 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 25.23 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 24.51 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 24.14 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 23.85 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 23.63 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 23.51 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 23.35 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 23.12 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 23.12 births per 1,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.97 births per 1,000 people, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 23.12 births per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.94 births per 1,000 people, 1.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.26 births per 1,000 people | 43.26 births per 1,000 people | 44.62 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 42.11 births per 1,000 people | 39.63 births per 1,000 people | 44.3 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.53 births per 1,000 people | 35.62 births per 1,000 people | 38.76 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.87 births per 1,000 people | 33.36 births per 1,000 people | 36.06 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.55 births per 1,000 people | 29.64 births per 1,000 people | 33.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.39 births per 1,000 people | 28.4 births per 1,000 people | 30.01 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.98 births per 1,000 people | 23.85 births per 1,000 people | 28.01 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.4 births per 1,000 people | 23.12 births per 1,000 people | 23.63 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 57 Papua New Guinea 24.58 births per 1,000 people compare
- 58 Lesotho 24.11 births per 1,000 people compare
- 59 Eswatini 24.07 births per 1,000 people compare
- 61 Tuvalu 23.07 births per 1,000 people compare
- 62 Micronesia (country) 22.3 births per 1,000 people compare
- 63 Haiti 22.2 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Tonga
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0093 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.0% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6,812 people (2100)
- Population density 163.72 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3365 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8047 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Tonga?
- Birth rate in Tonga was 23.12 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 44.62 births per 1,000 people in 1957.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.12 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Tonga rank for birth rate?
- Tonga ranks 60th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.