Statizoid

Life expectancy at birth in Tonga

Tonga: Life expectancy at birth was 72.89 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
72.89 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
140th
of 236 countries
All-time high
72.89 years
in 2023
All-time low
48.38 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy at birth in Tonga, 1950–2023

020406080195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Tonga is 72.89 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Tonga peaked at 72.89 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.38 years, in 1950.

That places Tonga 140th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth in Tonga, year by year

Year years Change
1950 48.38 years —
1951 49.79 years +2.9%
1952 51.16 years +2.7%
1953 52.45 years +2.5%
1954 53.56 years +2.1%
1955 54.66 years +2.0%
1956 55.66 years +1.8%
1957 56.51 years +1.5%
1958 57.21 years +1.2%
1959 57.77 years +1.0%
1960 58.31 years +1.0%
1961 58.76 years +0.8%
1962 59.3 years +0.9%
1963 59.77 years +0.8%
1964 60.25 years +0.8%
1965 60.72 years +0.8%
1966 61.21 years +0.8%
1967 61.69 years +0.8%
1968 62.16 years +0.8%
1969 62.7 years +0.9%
1970 63.18 years +0.8%
1971 63.61 years +0.7%
1972 64.06 years +0.7%
1973 64.39 years +0.5%
1974 64.83 years +0.7%
1975 65.12 years +0.5%
1976 65.42 years +0.5%
1977 65.62 years +0.3%
1978 65.85 years +0.3%
1979 66.04 years +0.3%
1980 66.19 years +0.2%
1981 66.36 years +0.3%
1982 66.33 years -0.0%
1983 66.65 years +0.5%
1984 66.81 years +0.2%
1985 66.93 years +0.2%
1986 67.06 years +0.2%
1987 67.19 years +0.2%
1988 67.32 years +0.2%
1989 67.44 years +0.2%
1990 67.54 years +0.1%
1991 67.75 years +0.3%
1992 67.93 years +0.3%
1993 68.16 years +0.3%
1994 68.37 years +0.3%
1995 68.59 years +0.3%
1996 68.8 years +0.3%
1997 69.01 years +0.3%
1998 69.22 years +0.3%
1999 69.43 years +0.3%
2000 69.64 years +0.3%
2001 69.8 years +0.2%
2002 70.03 years +0.3%
2003 70.23 years +0.3%
2004 70.43 years +0.3%
2005 70.56 years +0.2%
2006 70.71 years +0.2%
2007 70.89 years +0.3%
2008 71.04 years +0.2%
2009 70.95 years -0.1%
2010 71.32 years +0.5%
2011 71.44 years +0.2%
2012 71.55 years +0.2%
2013 71.65 years +0.1%
2014 71.72 years +0.1%
2015 71.85 years +0.2%
2016 71.95 years +0.1%
2017 72.07 years +0.2%
2018 72.17 years +0.1%
2019 72.29 years +0.2%
2020 72.38 years +0.1%
2021 72.13 years -0.3%
2022 72.64 years +0.7%
2023 72.89 years +0.4%

Tonga compared with similar countries

  • Tonga's 72.89 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.42 years, 98% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Tonga's 72.89 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 53.71 years 48.38 years 57.77 years 10
1960s 60.49 years 58.31 years 62.7 years 10
1970s 64.81 years 63.18 years 66.04 years 10
1980s 66.83 years 66.19 years 67.44 years 10
1990s 68.48 years 67.54 years 69.43 years 10
2000s 70.43 years 69.64 years 71.04 years 10
2010s 71.8 years 71.32 years 72.29 years 10
2020s 72.51 years 72.13 years 72.89 years 4

Countries ranked near Tonga

  1. 137 Ukraine 73.42 years compare
  2. 138 Russia 73.15 years compare
  3. 139 Bhutan 72.97 years compare
  4. 141 Honduras 72.88 years compare
  5. 142 Seychelles 72.86 years compare
  6. 143 American Samoa 72.85 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Tonga

All data for Tonga →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth in Tonga?
Life expectancy at birth in Tonga was 72.89 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Tonga?
The highest recorded value was 72.89 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Tonga?
The lowest recorded value was 48.38 years in 1950.
How does Tonga rank for life expectancy at birth?
Tonga ranks 140th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Tonga?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Tonga data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth in Tonga. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-unwpp/tonga/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Period life expectancy at birth.