Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tonga instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
be 49.2% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.2 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.
have 16.2% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.
Economy
be 43.2% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.4% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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.
have 79.2% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.
Geography
see 83.2% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.
Environment
be 72.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 34.8% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Tonga
Tonga: At a glance
How big is Tonga compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.