Urban population in Tonga
Tonga: Urban population was 21,948 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Tonga, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Tonga stood at 21,948.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Tonga peaked at 25,237 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 12,083, in 1960.
Tonga ranks 212th of 218 countries on this measure, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 12,083 | — |
| 1961 | 12,725 | +5.3% |
| 1962 | 13,357 | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 13,974 | +4.6% |
| 1964 | 14,566 | +4.2% |
| 1965 | 15,126 | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 15,635 | +3.4% |
| 1967 | 16,044 | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 16,382 | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 16,714 | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 17,038 | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 17,355 | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 17,664 | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 17,972 | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 18,370 | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 18,865 | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 19,362 | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 19,688 | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 19,850 | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 20,006 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 20,157 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 20,309 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 20,460 | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 20,613 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 20,769 | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 20,931 | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 21,105 | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 21,353 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 21,652 | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 21,913 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 22,139 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 22,334 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 22,502 | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 22,646 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 22,769 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 22,872 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 22,949 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 23,087 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 23,287 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 23,469 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 23,642 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 23,807 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 23,965 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 24,125 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 24,292 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 24,460 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 24,630 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 24,786 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 24,924 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 25,044 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 25,158 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 25,237 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 25,209 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 25,075 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 24,886 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 24,660 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 24,405 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 24,201 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 23,966 | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 23,595 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 23,124 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 22,425 | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 22,213 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 22,120 | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 22,034 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 21,948 | -0.4% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 21,948 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.10 million, 1% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 21,948 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 3% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14,661 | 12,083 | 16,714 | 10 |
| 1970s | 18,617 | 17,038 | 20,006 | 10 |
| 1980s | 20,926 | 20,157 | 21,913 | 10 |
| 1990s | 22,805 | 22,139 | 23,469 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24,368 | 23,642 | 25,044 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,639 | 23,595 | 25,237 | 10 |
| 2020s | 22,311 | 21,948 | 23,124 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 209 Saint Martin (French part) 24,941 compare
- 210 Antigua and Barbuda 22,924 compare
- 211 British Virgin Islands 22,804 compare
- 213 Faroe Islands 21,764 compare
- 214 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14,968 compare
- 215 Palau 14,004 compare
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 21,948 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 25,237 in 2011.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,083 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 11.0%. 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. 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.