Employment by status in Tonga
Tonga: Employment by status was 57.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Tonga, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 57.9% for employment by status in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Tonga peaked at 57.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 44.7%, in 1991.
Tonga ranks 115th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 44.7% | — |
| 1992 | 44.8% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 44.9% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 44.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 45.2% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 45.4% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 45.4% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 45.6% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 45.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 45.8% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 45.9% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 46.0% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 46.2% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 46.2% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 46.2% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 46.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 46.1% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 46.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 46.1% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 46.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 46.3% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 46.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 46.6% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 47.0% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 47.4% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 47.8% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 48.2% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 50.2% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 51.8% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 54.1% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 56.0% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 57.8% | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 57.9% | +0.2% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 57.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.6%, 86% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 57.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.9%, 94% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.2% | 44.7% | 45.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 46.1% | 45.8% | 46.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.3% | 46.1% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5% | 51.8% | 57.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More work & labour data for Tonga
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0285 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0138 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.0722 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 41.65 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 98.27 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 58.13 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 59.74 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 117.87 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Tonga?
- Employment by status in Tonga was 57.9% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 57.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.7% in 1991.
- How does Tonga rank for employment by status?
- Tonga ranks 115th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.