Rural population growth (annual %) in Tonga
Tonga: Rural population growth (annual %) was -0.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Tonga, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded -0.4% for rural population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Tonga peaked at 2.5% in 1966 and was at its lowest, -0.4%, in 2023.
Tonga ranks 135th of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.2% | — |
| 1962 | 2.3% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 2.3% | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 2.5% | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 2.2% | -12.7% |
| 1968 | 1.9% | -16.1% |
| 1969 | 1.8% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 1.8% | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 1.7% | -2.9% |
| 1972 | 1.7% | -3.9% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | +27.3% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +21.4% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -41.8% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | -70.8% |
| 1979 | 0.2% | -42.1% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -59.8% |
| 1981 | -0.0% | -116.2% |
| 1982 | -0.1% | +567.1% |
| 1983 | -0.2% | +69.0% |
| 1984 | -0.2% | +21.7% |
| 1985 | -0.2% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | -0.2% | -11.7% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | -179.7% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +148.5% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | -41.3% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -59.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1992 | -0.1% | — |
| 1993 | -0.1% | +53.8% |
| 1994 | -0.1% | -4.7% |
| 1995 | -0.1% | -26.6% |
| 1996 | -0.0% | -38.6% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -1065.2% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +96.0% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -8.0% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -23.4% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -50.9% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -59.7% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | +31.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +9.5% |
| 2012 | -0.1% | -190.1% |
| 2013 | -0.3% | +203.0% |
| 2014 | -0.3% | +13.3% |
| 2015 | -0.4% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | -0.4% | +10.1% |
| 2017 | 0.0% | -111.4% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +1135.2% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | -0.3% | -148.6% |
| 2023 | -0.4% | +49.7% |
| 2024 | -0.4% | -4.1% |
| 2025 | -0.4% | +3.7% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's -0.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is -0.6%, 70% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Tonga's -0.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0%. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +1135.2% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 1997 | +1065.2% | -0.0% | 0.3% |
| 1982 | -567.1% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | -203.0% | -0.1% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | -190.1% | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | +179.7% | -0.2% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.2% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.0% | -0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | -0.1% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0% | -0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.1% | -0.4% | 0.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More agriculture & rural data for Tonga
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1857 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,154 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.4224 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7884 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 18.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 18.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.7% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Tonga?
- Rural population growth in Tonga was -0.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1966.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.4% in 2023.
- How does Tonga rank for rural population growth?
- Tonga ranks 135th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.