Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
live 8.9 years longer
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 53.9% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 10.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 3.6 times more doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 49.1% more access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.6 times more money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.6% less 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.7% less 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 52.1% fewer children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.7% more likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.7% more on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 36.1 times more coastline
Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 22.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.7% more likely to be murdered
Tonga has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 4.7 times more home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.7 times more CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 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: Tonga vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.