Photo: Haanofonua derivative work: Massimo Telò · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Tonga: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Tonga is placed 15th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 27.1 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 0.06 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
15th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Tonga on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Tonga’s is from 2021 · CC BY 4.0
27.1
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Tonga: 27.1. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Polynesia
- 27.1 Tonga
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Tonga’s is from 2021 · CC BY 4.0
0.06
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Tonga: 0.06. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Polynesia
- 0.06 Tonga
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2025 figure for Tonga, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
02Over time
Which way Tonga is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Gini Index
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) · lower is better
TongaWorld median
Tonga fell from 37.5 in 2009 to 27.1 in 2021; the world median went from 34.91 to 34.03.
Every year’s figures
Year Tonga World median 2023 — 33.72 2022 — 33.91 2021 27 34.04 2020 — 34.18 2019 — 33.51 2018 — 35.25 2017 — 34.86 2016 — 34.47 2015 34 35.52 2014 — 34.79 2013 — 36.16 2012 — 35.40 2011 — 33.96 2010 — 33.71 2009 38 34.91 2008 — 34.60 2007 — 34.26 2006 — 35.63 2005 — 36.28 2004 — 34.29 2003 — 35.46 2002 — 37.14 Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) · lower is better
TongaWorld median
Tonga fell from 0.73 in 2009 to 0.06 in 2021; the world median went from 0.6 to 0.335.
Every year’s figures
Year Tonga World median 2023 — 0.345 2022 — 0.420 2021 0.1 0.335 2020 — 0.280 2019 — 0.380 2018 — 0.460 2017 — 0.300 2016 — 0.440 2015 0.9 0.500 2014 — 0.635 2013 — 0.515 2012 — 0.640 2011 — 0.430 2010 — 0.530 2009 0.7 0.600 2008 — 0.350 2007 — 0.360 2006 — 0.465 2005 — 1.250 2004 — 0.790 2003 — 1.650 2002 — 3.010
03In context
Tonga beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Tonga and Polynesia
Tonga has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonga | 15th | 27.1 | 0.06 | — |
 Samoa | 99th | 38.74 | 0.67 | — |
 American Samoa | not placed | — | — | — |
 Cook Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
 French Polynesia | not placed | — | — | — |
 Niue | not placed | — | — | — |
 Tuvalu | not placed | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Polynesia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Tonga in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Tonga is ahead of the world, and behind
9 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median8
Statistics on which Tonga does better than the middle country measured.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.2160.446No earlier reading
Tonga: 0.216 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 148th of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.2520.4094.252No earlier reading
Tonga: 0.409 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 137th of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.0030.039No real change since 2021
Tonga: 0.003 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 92nd of 109 · derived, 1st = worst.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.8760.529No earlier reading
Tonga: 0.876 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.10.392.1▲ Improved since 2014
Tonga: 0.39 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0510.9917.05▼ Worsened since 2019
Tonga: 10.99 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 116th of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.2612.7621.26No earlier reading
Tonga: 12.76 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 73rd of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.6820.609No real change since 2019
Tonga: 0.682 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 64th of 169 · derived.
No better end1
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.820.621.8No earlier reading
Tonga: 20.6 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
No current reading for Tonga
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour Benefits, Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health Spending, Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Exclusion by Socio-Economic Group, Gini Index (last 2021), Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2021), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings (last 2023), Income Growth of the Poorest 40% (last 2019), Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2021), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2021), Low Pay Rate (last 2023), Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2021), Palma Ratio (last 2021), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2021), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2021), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2021), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2021), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2021), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity (last 2022), Prosperity Gap (last 2021), Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet, Societal Poverty Rate (last 2021) and Working Poverty Rate. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Tonga’s 15 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Tonga’s best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Poverty & Inequality15th of 1592/3 keys
- Mobility & Tradejoint 55th of 1772/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing64th of 2003/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties77th of 1983/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge90th of 1983/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability95th of 1863/4 keys
- Gender & Equality94th of 1832/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 103rd of 1824/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience113th of 1933/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital115th of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions124th of 1942/4 keys
- Energy120th of 1652/3 keys
- Digital & Technology159th of 1983/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation146th of 1762/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture169th of 1842/4 keys
No standing on Peace & Security: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Tonga can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Oceania
Kiribati12th2/3 keysHighest in Polynesia
Tonga15th2/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Tonga on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Tonga rank on poverty & inequality?
Tonga is placed 15th of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index and Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Tonga?
27.1 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Tonga?
0.06 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How have Tonga’s poverty & inequality figures changed?
Gini Index fell from 37.5 in 2009 to 27.1 in 2021; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day fell from 0.73 in 2009 to 0.06 in 2021.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Tonga?
No current reading is published for Tonga on Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour Benefits, Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health Spending, Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Exclusion by Socio-Economic Group, Gini Index, Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Low Pay Rate, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person, Palma Ratio, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prosperity Gap, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet, Societal Poverty Rate and Working Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 9 statistics on this page come from 5 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Tonga’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Tonga (banner) — Haanofonua derivative work: Massimo Telò, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Tonga: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/tonga/poverty