Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga
Tonga: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 1.01 per 1,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
1.01 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 7.2%
World rank
119th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.01 per 1,000 people
in 2021
All-time low
0.256 per 1,000 people
in 1970
Years of data
18
1960–2021
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga, 1960–2021
Source: World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga is 1.01 per 1,000 people, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 87.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga peaked at 1.01 per 1,000 people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.256 per 1,000 people, in 1970.
That places Tonga 119th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.375 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1970 | 0.256 per 1,000 people | -31.7% |
| 1980 | 0.362 per 1,000 people | +41.4% |
| 1981 | 0.602 per 1,000 people | +66.3% |
| 1982 | 0.6 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.492 per 1,000 people | -18.0% |
| 1991 | 0.508 per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 0.44 per 1,000 people | -13.4% |
| 2000 | 0.499 per 1,000 people | +13.4% |
| 2001 | 0.339 per 1,000 people | -32.1% |
| 2002 | 0.289 per 1,000 people | -14.7% |
| 2008 | 0.533 per 1,000 people | +84.4% |
| 2009 | 0.578 per 1,000 people | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 0.54 per 1,000 people | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 0.514 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 1.01 per 1,000 people | +96.9% |
| 2020 | 0.946 per 1,000 people | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 1.01 per 1,000 people | +7.2% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 1.01 per 1,000 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.84 per 1,000 people, 55% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 1.01 per 1,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.06 per 1,000 people, 96% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.375 per 1,000 people | 0.375 per 1,000 people | 0.375 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 0.256 per 1,000 people | 0.256 per 1,000 people | 0.256 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.514 per 1,000 people | 0.362 per 1,000 people | 0.602 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1990s | 0.474 per 1,000 people | 0.44 per 1,000 people | 0.508 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.4476 per 1,000 people | 0.289 per 1,000 people | 0.578 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.6887 per 1,000 people | 0.514 per 1,000 people | 1.01 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.98 per 1,000 people | 0.946 per 1,000 people | 1.01 per 1,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
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 medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Tonga was 1.01 per 1,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 1.01 per 1,000 people in 2021.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.256 per 1,000 people in 1970.
- How does Tonga rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Tonga ranks 119th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 87.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Medical doctors per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).