Maternal mortality ratio in Tonga
Tonga: Maternal mortality ratio was 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
61st
of 185 countries
All-time high
128.97 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1985
All-time low
83.91 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2018
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio in Tonga, 1985–2020
Source: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 live births.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births for maternal mortality ratio in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Tonga peaked at 128.97 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 83.91 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2018.
Tonga ranks 61st of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Maternal mortality ratio in Tonga, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 128.97 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 120.89 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.3% |
| 1987 | 115.84 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 115.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 114.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 116.63 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 113.07 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 112.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 107.73 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 106.41 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 105.08 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 99.6 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 96.28 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 95.69 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 95.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 94.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 95.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 94.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 93.77 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 94.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 94.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.9 deaths per 100,000 live births | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 97.09 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 97.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 102.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 93.21 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.1% |
| 2011 | 92.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 92.21 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 92.87 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 94.13 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 86.41 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.2% |
| 2016 | 84.38 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 83.99 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 83.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 125.4 deaths per 100,000 live births | +49.4% |
| 2020 | 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.2% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 45.53 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 66.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.9× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Maternal mortality ratio in Tonga changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +49.4% | 83.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | 125.4 deaths per 100,000 live births |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 119.1 deaths per 100,000 live births | 114.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | 128.97 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 104.78 deaths per 100,000 live births | 95.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | 116.63 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 96.26 deaths per 100,000 live births | 93.77 deaths per 100,000 live births | 102.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | 83.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | 125.4 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births | 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births | 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 58 Mozambique 127.11 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 59 South Africa 126.83 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 60 Laos 126.06 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 62 Bangladesh 123.03 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 63 Solomon Islands 122.25 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 64 Guyana 111.94 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Tonga
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -33.33 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 2.33 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 834.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0535 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Tonga?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Tonga was 125.64 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 128.97 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.91 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018.
- How does Tonga rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Tonga ranks 61st out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.