Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Tonga
Tonga: Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) was -0.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Tonga, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded -0.4% for population growth in 2024.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Tonga peaked at 2.5% in 1975 and was at its lowest, -0.5%, in 2016.
That places Tonga 195th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.8% | — |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 1.7% | -4.0% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | -2.4% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | +27.2% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +21.4% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -40.5% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | -66.1% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -29.3% |
| 1980 | 0.2% | -34.0% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -37.9% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -49.3% |
| 1983 | 0.0% | -74.7% |
| 1984 | -0.0% | -144.4% |
| 1985 | -0.0% | -25.0% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -533.5% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | +1305.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +61.2% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -27.2% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | -31.8% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -34.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -35.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -36.3% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -22.3% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | -6.4% |
| 1996 | 0.0% | -15.3% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +696.2% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +78.0% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -8.5% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -4.7% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -19.1% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -38.1% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -37.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +7.5% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -13.9% |
| 2012 | -0.1% | -164.7% |
| 2013 | -0.4% | +248.1% |
| 2014 | -0.4% | +23.3% |
| 2015 | -0.5% | +10.1% |
| 2016 | -0.5% | +11.7% |
| 2017 | -0.2% | -70.5% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -225.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -51.7% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | -65.7% |
| 2021 | -0.2% | -711.9% |
| 2022 | -0.4% | +110.0% |
| 2023 | -0.4% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | -0.4% | -4.8% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's -0.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's -0.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) 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 | +1305.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 1997 | +696.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | -711.9% | 0.0% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | +533.5% | -0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | -248.1% | -0.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | +225.6% | -0.2% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2% | -0.0% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1% | -0.5% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3% | -0.4% | 0.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
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 population growth in Tonga?
- Population growth in Tonga was -0.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1975.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.5% in 2016.
- How does Tonga rank for population growth?
- Tonga ranks 195th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release