Tonga Population
Tonga had an estimated population of 103,742 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 193rd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.00% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.42% a year.
Tonga at a glance
How Tonga's population is changing
Tonga's population is shrinking: −0.42% a year, which works out to about −432 people per year, or −1 a day. Births (23.0 per 1,000) and deaths (6.4 per 1,000) alone would give +1.66% a year; net migration removes about 2,150 people a year (−2.07%). Roughly one in every 79,191 people on Earth lives in Tonga.
Population of Tonga since 1960
In 1960, Tonga had 66,170 people. By 2025 that was 103,742 — 1.6× larger. The population peaked in 2011 at 107,570 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 28%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 66,170 | — |
| 1970 | 84,401 | +27.6% |
| 1980 | 97,769 | +15.8% |
| 1990 | 99,700 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 102,677 | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 107,400 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 105,704 | −1.6% |
| 2025 | 103,742 | −1.9% |
Tonga from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Tonga at about 18,658 people in 1800; the UN estimates 103,759 in 2025 (6× 1800) and projects 117,879 for 2100 in its medium scenario.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 18,658 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 18,517 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 21,444 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 49,679 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 102,695 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 103,759 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 105,205 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 113,018 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 117,879 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Tonga
1 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 103,742. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuku‘alofa | 22,400 | GeoNames settlement | 21.59% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Tonga compares
Tonga has almost the same population as United States Virgin Islands (103,792).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Tonga | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #191 |  Aruba | 108,785 | +5% | compare → |
| #192 |  United States Virgin Islands | 103,792 | +0% | compare → |
| #194 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 99,924 | −4% | compare → |
| #195 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 94,209 | −9% | compare → |
Compare Tonga with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Tonga
Nearest countries
Tonga has no land border. Closest by distance:
Fiji 933,154 · 9.0× the population · compare
Samoa 219,306 · 2.1× the population · compare
American Samoa 46,029 · 2.3× smaller · compare
Tuvalu 9,492 · 10.9× smaller · compare
In its region
Tonga is the 31st most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.0% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Tonga
Cities
Nuku‘alofa — all Tonga's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Tonga when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.