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

Health

live 1.2 years longer

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 →

have 80.7% more doctors per person

Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 60.6% less likely to die by suicide

Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 14.8% more likely to be obese

In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 59.8% less likely to be unemployed

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

View global rankings →

make 11.5% more money

Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 33.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Samoa, approximately 101.0 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 36.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 10.4% less likely to have internet access

In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 84.8% less likely to be murdered

Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Tonga, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

be 11.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 9.3 times more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 29.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), 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 Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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