Population growth rate in Tonga
Tonga: Population growth rate was -0.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
-0.4%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
207th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 1956
All-time low
-0.6%
in 2016
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rate in Tonga, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, population growth rate in Tonga stood at -0.4%.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Tonga peaked at 3.2% in 1956 and was at its lowest, -0.6%, in 2016.
Tonga ranks 207th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth rate in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.5% | — |
| 1951 | 2.6% | +6.1% |
| 1952 | 2.8% | +6.1% |
| 1953 | 2.9% | +4.5% |
| 1954 | 3.0% | +4.0% |
| 1955 | 3.1% | +2.7% |
| 1956 | 3.2% | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 2.7% | -14.3% |
| 1958 | 2.8% | +1.2% |
| 1959 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.8% | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 2.8% | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 2.8% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 2.7% | -2.0% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | -27.9% |
| 1968 | 1.9% | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 1.8% | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 1.8% | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 1.7% | -3.9% |
| 1972 | 1.7% | -4.1% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | +55.1% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -7.2% |
| 1977 | 0.6% | -75.9% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | -26.0% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -34.0% |
| 1980 | 0.2% | -34.2% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -44.8% |
| 1982 | 0.0% | -56.4% |
| 1983 | -0.0% | -113.6% |
| 1984 | -0.0% | +83.3% |
| 1985 | -0.0% | -90.9% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -5600.0% |
| 1987 | 0.7% | +1150.9% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | -25.1% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -30.1% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -34.4% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -33.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -38.2% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -34.0% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 0.0% | -14.5% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +1483.0% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -9.9% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -6.7% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -34.3% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -43.7% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -27.8% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +56.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -58.9% |
| 2012 | -0.3% | -422.8% |
| 2013 | -0.4% | +40.1% |
| 2014 | -0.5% | +11.1% |
| 2015 | -0.5% | +9.3% |
| 2016 | -0.6% | +13.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -144.4% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -43.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -65.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | -72.0% |
| 2021 | -0.4% | -3100.0% |
| 2022 | -0.4% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | -0.4% | -2.8% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's -0.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6%. (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 rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +5600.0% | -0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | -3100.0% | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | +1483.0% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| 1987 | +1150.9% | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| 2012 | -422.8% | 0.1% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | +144.4% | -0.6% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2% | -0.0% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1% | -0.6% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3% | -0.4% | 0.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 204 Cuba -0.4% compare
- 205 Falkland Islands -0.4% compare
- 206 Guadeloupe -0.4% compare
- 208 Serbia -0.4% compare
- 209 Taiwan -0.5% compare
- 210 North Macedonia -0.5% 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 population growth rate in Tonga?
- Population growth rate in Tonga was -0.4% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1956.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.6% in 2016.
- How does Tonga rank for population growth rate?
- Tonga ranks 207th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. 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 Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.