Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tonga

Tonga: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 33.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
33.7%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
80th
of 186 countries
All-time high
41.3%
in 1991
All-time low
33.7%
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tonga, 1991–2025

0102030401991200820251991: 41.3 %1992: 41.1 %1993: 41.1 %1994: 40.9 %1995: 40.6 %1996: 40.4 %1997: 40.4 %1998: 40.3 %1999: 40.2 %2000: 40 %2001: 40 %2002: 39.8 %2003: 39.7 %2004: 39.7 %2005: 39.7 %2006: 39.9 %2007: 39.9 %2008: 39.9 %2009: 39.9 %2010: 39.8 %2011: 39.6 %2012: 39.5 %2013: 39.5 %2014: 39.3 %2015: 39.1 %2016: 38.7 %2017: 38.3 %2018: 37.9 %2019: 37.1 %2020: 36.5 %2021: 35.4 %2022: 34.7 %2023: 34 %2024: 33.9 %2025: 33.7 %

Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tonga is 33.7%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tonga peaked at 41.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 2025.

Tonga ranks 80th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 40.7% 40.2% 41.3% 9
2000s 39.8% 39.7% 40.0% 10
2010s 38.9% 37.1% 39.8% 10
2020s 34.7% 33.7% 36.5% 6

Countries ranked near Tonga

  1. 77 Sao Tome and Principe 35.0% compare
  2. 78 Cape Verde 34.3% compare
  3. 79 Honduras 33.9% compare
  4. 81 Philippines 33.6% compare
  5. 82 China 33.4% compare
  6. 83 Uzbekistan 33.3% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Tonga

All data for Tonga →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tonga?
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Tonga was 33.7% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Tonga?
The highest recorded value was 41.3% in 1991.
What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Tonga?
The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 2025.
How does Tonga rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
Tonga ranks 80th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Tonga?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Tonga data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of workers in vulnerable employment
Unit
%
Source
International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).