Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 69.9% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 90.3% more doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
have 31.6% more access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
live 2.9 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.4% more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.5% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 62.5% less likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 19.2% less on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 25.3% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 36.1% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.7 times more CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.