If you lived in Tonga instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

live 12.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Tonga, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

be 70.3% more likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Tonga, that number is 48.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 96.1% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Tonga, that number is 1.1% as of 2011.

make 44.3% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,400 as of 2019.

be 35.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Tonga, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2010.

Life

be 56.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Tonga, 52.0 women do as of 2017.

be 52.0% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Tonga, on the other hand, 12.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 41.4% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Tonga, about 41.0% do as of 2019.

Expenditures

spend 45.1% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Tonga, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2019.

spend 17.6% more on education

South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Tonga spends 8.0% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

Geography

see 85.0% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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