Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Tonga, you would:

Health

be 95.1% less likely to be obese

In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 24.7% less likely to die by suicide

Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 5.2 years less

In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 25.8% fewer doctors per person

Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.

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Economy

be 20.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 79.5% less money

Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.9 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 30.2% less likely to be literate

In Tonga, the literacy rate is 99.5% as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.

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be 4.4 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 39.6% less likely to have internet access

In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.

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be 11.7% 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 30.4% more on healthcare

Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 68.5% more coastline

Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.

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Safety

be 41.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 99.9% less home broadband

Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 69.3% less CO2

Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Tonga vs. Timor-Leste

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Timor-Leste is 22.0% more expensive than Tonga overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Tonga is about 20 times smaller than Timor-Leste.
→
Moving from Tonga to Timor-Leste · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Timor-Leste: At a glance

Timor-Leste is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 14,874 sq km. The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, in the next three weeks, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, Australian-led peacekeeping troops deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste, and the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed in the attack, and most of the rebels surrendered in April 2008. Since the attack, the government has enjoyed one of its longest periods of post-independence stability, including successful 2012 elections for both the parliament and president. In late 2012, the UN Security Council voted to end its peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste and both the ISF and UNMIT departed the country by the end of the year.
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