If you lived in Tonga instead of Burma, you would:

Health

live 6.0 years longer

In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 80.9% more spent on your healthcare

Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 33.9% more doctors per person

Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 9.1 times more likely to be obese

In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 63.7% more likely to die by suicide

Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 34.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 4.4 times more money

Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 63.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 76.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Burma, approximately 32.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 40.0% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 30.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 53.3% more likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 15.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on education

Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 65.0% more on healthcare

Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 78.3% less coastline

Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 56.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.8 times more home broadband

Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 66.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 2.8 times more CO2

Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Tonga: At a glance

Tonga is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 717 sq km. Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
Read more

How big is Tonga compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tonga or Burma. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.