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

Health

be 59.2% less likely to be obese

In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 30.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guyana spends $1,331 as of 2023.

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have 36.8% more doctors per person

Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.

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have 33.3% more access to essential health services

Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guyana scores 76 as of 2021.

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live 2.8 years less

In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 5.0 times more money

Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.

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be 6.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 10.7% less likely to be literate

In Tonga, the literacy rate is 99.5% as of 2023. In Guyana, it is 88.8% as of 2021.

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be 3.0 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 13.7% fewer children

In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 23.1% more likely to have internet access

In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guyana, about 83.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 66.4% less on healthcare

Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 78.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guyana, they kill 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 58.4% more home broadband

Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Guyana has 12.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.8 times more CO2

Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Guyana: At a glance

Guyana is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 196,849 sq km. Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006. Donald RAMOTAR was elected president in 2011.
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How big is Guyana compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.

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