Tonga at its true size
Tonga covers 749 km², number 175 of 194 countries by area. Home to 103,742 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 749 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 103,742 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 139 per km² |
| Capital | Nuku'alofa |
| Local time in Nuku'alofa | |
| Time zone | UTC+13 IANA |
| Currency | Tongan paʻanga (TOP) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Tongan |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Polynesia, Oceania |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +676 |
| Codes | TO · TON · 776 |
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Where Tonga ranks
Among the independent states, in 41 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#182 of 194103,742 people#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Population density#65 of 194139 people per km²#5 of 13 in Oceania
- Urban population#186 of 19221% urban#11 of 13 in Oceania
- Fertility rate#52 of 1923.10 births per woman#6 of 13 in Oceania
- Population growth#177 of 192−0.42% a year#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Birth rate#58 of 19223.0 births per 1,000 people#7 of 13 in Oceania
- Death rate#125 of 1926.4 deaths per 1,000 people#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Children under 15#51 of 19234.9% under 15#5 of 13 in Oceania
- People over 65#102 of 1926.9% aged 65 and over#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Net migration#190 of 192−20.7 per 1,000 people#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Refugees abroad#72 of 1900.63 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#1 of 13 in Oceania
Health & education
- Life expectancy#103 of 19273.1 years#3 of 13 in Oceania
- Infant mortality#125 of 1917.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Doctors#108 of 1781.01 doctors per 1,000 people#4 of 9 in Oceania
- University enrolment#87 of 14542.9% gross enrolment#5 of 8 in Oceania
- Human Development Index#91 of 190an index of 0.769#4 of 13 in Oceania
Economy
- GNI per capita#97 of 185$6,840 a person#6 of 13 in Oceania
- Internet users#124 of 18467% online#7 of 11 in Oceania
- GDP per capita (PPP)#133 of 184$8,675 a person#8 of 13 in Oceania
- GDP growth#108 of 187+2.8% a year#8 of 13 in Oceania
- Inflation#37 of 176+5.6% a year#2 of 11 in Oceania
- Unemployment#162 of 1782.0% of the labour force#7 of 8 in Oceania
- Extreme poverty#107 of 1490.4% under $3.00 a day#6 of 6 in Oceania
- Income inequality (Gini)#135 of 149a Gini index of 27.1#5 of 6 in Oceania
- Jobs in agriculture#75 of 17823.6% of jobs#6 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in industry#52 of 17823.3% of jobs#1 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in services#104 of 17853.0% of jobs#5 of 8 in Oceania
- Foreign investment#73 of 1842.6% of GDP#4 of 12 in Oceania
- Exports#142 of 16816.9% of GDP#11 of 12 in Oceania
- Mobile subscriptions#171 of 19162 subscriptions per 100 people#6 of 12 in Oceania
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#110 of 1851.63 tonnes a person#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Forest area#143 of 19212% forest#11 of 13 in Oceania
- Renewable energy#165 of 1902.3% renewable#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#186 of 1914.7 µg/m³#9 of 13 in Oceania
- Protected land#127 of 19113.3% of the land protected#6 of 13 in Oceania
- Arable land#28 of 19030.3% of the land arable#1 of 12 in Oceania
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Tonga’s area, lit up on the map →
- Dominica1.0×Tonga and Dominica are almost exactly the same size.
- Singapore1.04×Tonga is 4% larger than Singapore.
- Bahrain0.95×Tonga is 5% smaller than Bahrain.
- Micronesia1.07×Tonga is 7% larger than Micronesia.
- Kiribati0.92×Tonga is 8% smaller than Kiribati.
- Saint Lucia1.21×Tonga is 21% larger than Saint Lucia.
How many times does Tonga fit into…
- Russia: about 22798 times
- Canada: about 13331 times
- United States: about 13120 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Tonga shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Kao1,030 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Tonga. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Tonga
- How big is Tonga?
- Tonga covers 749 km², which makes it number 175 of 194 countries by area. About 103,742 people live there (2025), 139 per km².
- Is Tonga bigger than Dominica?
- Tonga and Dominica are almost exactly the same size. Tonga: 749 km²; Dominica: 751 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Tonga?
- Tonga lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Tonga have land borders?
- No. Tonga has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.