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

Health

be 35.2% less likely to die by suicide

Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 1.7 years less

In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 30.8 times more likely to be obese

In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 25.7% less spent on your healthcare

Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 16.2% less access to essential health services

Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 29.2% more money

Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 32.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 4.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Life

be 35.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 71.7% more children

In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 39.6% more likely to die during childbirth

In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 19.9% less likely to have internet access

In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 83.7% more on education

Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 61.4% more on healthcare

Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 87.8% less coastline

Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 52.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 65.5% less home broadband

Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 53.8% less likely to die from air pollution

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

View global rankings →

emit 61.8% less CO2

Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


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

Tonga: At a glance

Tonga is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 717 sq km. Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
Read more

How big is Tonga compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tonga or Vietnam. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.