Population and Demographics of Tonga
Population declining at 0.4% in 2024 · 6.72% aged 65 or older
The working-age group represents 57.88% of Tonga's population, with fertility measured at 3.1 children per woman. Under the UN medium scenario, the 2050 total is 105.2 thousand, a 1.0% increase from 2024.
Population Over Time in Tonga
Tonga's population stood at 0.103M in 2000 and 0.104M in 2024, equivalent to a +1.5% change over that period. For 2050, the medium projection is 0.105M. That is a difference of about 0.00 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The balance between children, working-age adults and older residents gives Tonga a very young age profile. Children under 15 make up 35.40% of the population, compared with 6.72% aged 65 or older, and 57.88% are 15 to 64. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Tonga's 2024 population is 52.8% female and 47.2% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 5.6 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 52.8% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 47.2% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
For Tonga, the latest annual population movement is -0.40%, compared with fertility of 3.1, while 35.40% of residents are under 15 and 6.72% are 65 or older.
By 2024, Tonga had shifted +1.5% from its 2000 population level, with the projection period then moving +1.0% from 2024 to 2050; the aggregate numbers are not used to manufacture a causal explanation.
2024 estimate for Tonga. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Tonga vs. World
Relative to the 2024 world benchmarks, Tonga's population change is lower than the global rate, its fertility is above the global level, and its population is younger than the corresponding global median-age profile.
| Indicator | Tonga | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.4% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 3.1 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 21 | 30.6 | 2024 |
Same-year comparability takes priority here. Growth, fertility and median age are all taken from the 2024 harmonized table for both Tonga and the world.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 104,175 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is -0.40%.
The 2024 age structure is 35.40% under 15, 57.88% aged 15 to 64 and 6.72% aged 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 52.8% and 47.2% respectively.
The 2050 medium projection is 0.105M, 1.0% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Tonga?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Tonga is 104,175 people.
Is the population of Tonga growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Tonga's population is declining, with annual change of -0.40%.
What percentage of the population of Tonga is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 6.72% of Tonga's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Tonga in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Tonga's 2050 population at 105,195.
What is the fertility rate in Tonga?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Tonga is 3.1 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.