Demographics of Tonga

Tongans, a group from the Polynesian people, make up more than 98% of the people living in Tonga. Other groups include Europeans, mostly from Britain, mixed European and Tongan people, other Pacific Islanders, and several hundred Chinese people. Most of the population lives on the main island called Tongatapu. Even though more Tongans are moving to the city of Nukuʻalofa, where European and Tongan ways of life mix, life in villages and family ties remain very important.

Daily life in Tonga is deeply shaped by Polynesian traditions and the Christian faith. For example, all shopping and fun activities stop from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday because the Sabbath is considered sacred. Important Christian groups include Methodists, Roman Catholics, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Education is very important in Tonga. Children between ages 6 and 14 must go to school for free. Many schools are run by Christian missions. For higher education, Tongans can study teaching, nursing, medicine, and other subjects, often overseas.

Population

In the 1930s, Tonga had around 32,000 people. Starting in the 1970s, many people from Tonga moved to countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and the United States. Each year, more than 2% of Tongans left for these places. Today, Tonga has over 100,000 residents.

Structure of the population

Here is information about the ages and sexes of people in Tonga from a count done in 2016:

Vital statistics

Registered births and deaths

Migration

Emigration

Many people with Tongan heritage live outside of Tonga. Over 150,000 Tongans make their homes in places like New Zealand, the United States, and Australia.

Oceania

In New Zealand, around 82,000 people say they are of Tongan background, and about 22,000 were actually born in Tonga. They make up about 1.2% of New Zealand's population. In Australia, roughly 33,000 people have Tongan roots, which is a small part of Australia's much larger population. Most of these Tongan Australians live in New South Wales.

United States

In the United States, about 67,000 people reported having Tongan ancestry as of 2020. The largest groups live in California, especially around places like Daly City, East Palo Alto, and San Bruno near San Francisco. There are also Tongan communities in cities such as Inglewood and Hawthorne near Los Angeles, and in Utah, particularly in and around Salt Lake City. Other smaller groups can be found in places like Euless, Texas near Dallas and Portland, Oregon.