Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Tonga fits inside New Zealand 357 times
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2024) · Tonga: 749 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 36 times as long as Tonga’s
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Tonga: 419 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tonga’s highest peak towers 1,016 m above New Zealand’s
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Tonga: 1,046 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 48% of Tonga, versus 37% of New Zealand
New Zealand: 36.8% (2024) · Tonga: 48.5% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
New Zealand has 51 times as many people as Tonga
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Tonga: 103,742 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Tonga is 7.1 times as densely populated as New Zealand
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Tonga: 144 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 2.6 cm taller than in Tonga
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Tonga: 175.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Tonga are 1.4 cm taller than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Tonga: 166.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 17 years older than in Tonga
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Tonga: 20.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tonga have 1.5 more children on average than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Tonga: 3.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in Tonga
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Tonga: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
New Zealand: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Tonga: no data
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand: 5.6 (2026) · Tonga: no data
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Tonga 2
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Tonga: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 389 times the size of Tonga’s
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Tonga: $679 million (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 6.6 times as much per person as Tonga
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Tonga: Int$8,675 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Tonga: 27.1 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
New Zealand: no data · Tonga: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 2.0% in Tonga
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Tonga: 2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand: 1.1% (2025) · Tonga: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
New Zealand’s central government collects 30% of GDP in tax, Tonga’s 20%
New Zealand: 29.5% (2024) · Tonga: 20.5% (2023)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Tonga’s
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Tonga: 75% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 14 times as much on health per person as Tonga
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Tonga: $358 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 8.9 years longer than in Tonga
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Tonga: 73.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tonga is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Tonga: 7.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 3.6 times as many doctors per person as Tonga
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Tonga: 1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
New Zealand: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Tonga: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in New Zealand is 3.2 times that in Tonga
New Zealand: 13 per 100k (2023) · Tonga: 4.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
72% of adults in Tonga are obese, versus 35% in New Zealand
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Tonga: 72.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Tonga smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Tonga: 32.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Tonga: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 45 times as much alcohol as in Tonga
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Tonga: 0.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Tonga has 2 times as much meat per person as New Zealand
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Tonga: 156.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 63 kcal more food per person per day than Tonga
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Tonga: 3,059 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Tonga: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 2 years longer than in Tonga
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Tonga: 10.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 3.4 times as many tourists per resident as Tonga (2019)
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Tonga: 0.18 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
New Zealand has 3 more World Heritage sites than Tonga (3 against 0)
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Tonga: 0 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
New Zealand has won 166 Olympic medals, Tonga 1
New Zealand: 166 (2026 edition) · Tonga: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 67% in Tonga
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Tonga: 67% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
New Zealand: 272 Mbps (2026) · Tonga: no data
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Tonga are practically level
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Tonga: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 21% in Tonga
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Tonga: 21% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Tonga 62
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Tonga: 62 (2022)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Tonga: no data
How much do they fly?
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Tonga: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of New Zealand, but only 12% of Tonga
New Zealand: 38.9% (2024) · Tonga: 12.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 4.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Tonga
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Tonga: 1.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in Tonga
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Tonga: 14.3% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in New Zealand carries 84% more fine dust than in Tonga
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Tonga: 3.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 54% more likely to be murdered in New Zealand than in Tonga
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Tonga: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Tonga are 21% deadlier than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 10.9 per 100k (2023) · Tonga: 13.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tonga: no data
How much rain falls?
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tonga: no data
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Tonga?
New Zealand is larger. Tonga fits inside New Zealand 357 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Tonga?
New Zealand has 51 times as many people as Tonga (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Tonga?
People in New Zealand live 8.9 years longer than in Tonga. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 73.1 in Tonga.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Tonga?
Men in New Zealand are 2.6 cm taller than in Tonga (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).