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

Health

have 48.7% more doctors per person

Nicaragua has 6.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2018. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.

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live 2.0 years less

In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

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see 25.6% less spent on your healthcare

Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.

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have 18.6% less access to essential health services

Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.

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be 11.6% more likely to die by suicide

Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 60.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.

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make 2.1 times more money

Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

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Life

be 17.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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.

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have 20.4% more children

In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 13.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 11.3% less on healthcare

Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 85.0% more on education

Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 54.0% less coastline

Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.

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Safety

be 91.6% less likely to be murdered

Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.

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be 37.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 41.3% more home broadband

Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 36.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.

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emit 96.4% more CO2

Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), 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.
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How big is Tonga compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.

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