Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Swaziland instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 59.9% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 29.6% of people as of 2024.
see 80.0% more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Swaziland spends $922 as of 2023.
live 8.8 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.
have 45.1% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Swaziland has 5.6 as of 2023.
be 5.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Swaziland, it is 27.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 17.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Swaziland, that number is 34.2% as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Swaziland, however, that number is 53.5% as of 2023.
make 37.3% less money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Swaziland, the GDP per capita is $4,108 as of 2025.
Life
be 76.1% 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 Swaziland, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.4 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 Swaziland, on the other hand, 42.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.6% 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 Swaziland, that number is 86% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Tonga, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 80% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.6% more on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Swaziland spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 13.2 times more likely to be murdered
Tonga has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Swaziland, that number is 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Swaziland, they kill 24.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.3% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Swaziland has 2.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 46.0% less CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Swaziland, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Swaziland
Swaziland: At a glance
How big is Swaziland compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.