Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tonga instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
be 67.9% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.6 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 6.6 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.
have 10.7% fewer doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.
have 14.9% less access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.
make 30.9% more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.
be 44.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 50.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 23.5% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.9 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 100.0% more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 68.7% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.
Safety
be 71.3% less likely to be murdered
Sri Lanka has a homicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 26.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Environment
be 35.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 53.8% more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Tonga
Tonga: At a glance
How big is Tonga compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.