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

Health

be 93.2% more likely to be obese

In Kentucky, 38.2% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 42.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Kentucky, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.

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be 33.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kentucky, 15.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.

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make 86.9% less money

Kentucky has a GDP per capita of $50,135 as of 2024, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 22.8% less likely to have internet access

In Kentucky, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (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.
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How big is Tonga compared to Kentucky? See an in-depth size comparison.

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