Quality of life comparison
If you lived in California instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years longer
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In California, that number is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
make 12.7 times more money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,600 as of 2022, while in California, the GDP per capita is $84,028 as of 2024.
be 43.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In California, however, that number is 11.7% as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In California, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 38.2% more likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In California, about 92.6% do as of 2023.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.
