Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 73.2% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
live 3.8 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 62.6% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
be 76.5% more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 18.8% more money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
be 12.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Tonga, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 14.8% less likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.9% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 51.8% more on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 12.0 times more likely to be murdered
Tonga has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 94.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Environment
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.1% more CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.