Urban population in Tonga
Tonga: Urban population was 21.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
21.2%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
212th
of 218 countries
All-time high
23.5%
in 2011
All-time low
18.3%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in Tonga, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Tonga stood at 21.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Tonga peaked at 23.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 1960.
That places Tonga 212th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.3% | — |
| 1961 | 18.7% | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 19.1% | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 19.4% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 19.7% | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 19.9% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 20.0% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 20.1% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 20.1% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 20.2% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 20.2% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 20.2% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 20.2% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 20.2% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 20.3% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 20.3% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 20.3% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 20.4% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 20.4% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 20.5% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 20.6% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 20.7% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 20.9% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 21.0% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 21.2% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 21.4% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 21.5% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 21.7% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 21.9% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 22.0% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 22.2% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 22.4% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 22.5% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 22.6% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 22.7% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 22.8% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 22.9% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 22.9% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 23.0% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 23.1% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 23.1% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 23.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 23.2% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 23.2% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 23.3% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 23.5% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 23.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 23.3% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 23.2% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 23.1% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 23.0% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 22.7% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 22.3% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 21.9% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 21.1% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 21.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 21.2% | +0.0% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 21.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.4%, 32% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 21.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.4%, 32% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 19.6% | 18.3% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 20.3% | 20.2% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.3% | 20.6% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.7% | 22.2% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.2% | 23.0% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 22.3% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.3% | 21.1% | 21.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More climate change data for Tonga
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 0 kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 138.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 28.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 110.37 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.1068 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Tonga?
- Urban population in Tonga was 21.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 2011.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 1960.
- How does Tonga rank for urban population?
- Tonga ranks 212th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.