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

Health

be 26.9% less likely to die by suicide

Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 9.9 years less

In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 →

be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 91.0% less spent on your healthcare

Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 77.5% fewer doctors per person

Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

have 32.9% less access to essential health services

Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 30.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 23.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 86.3% less money

Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 3.0 times more children

In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 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 →

be 8.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Malta, approximately 8.0 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 66.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Malta, approximately 4.7 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 →

Basic Needs

be 28.1% less likely to have internet access

In Malta, approximately 93.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 16.7% less on healthcare

Malta spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 12.7% more on education

Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 4.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 81.6% less home broadband

Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 48.7% less CO2

Malta emits 3.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 14.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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