Unemployment rate in Tonga
Tonga: Unemployment rate was 2.01 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Tonga, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Tonga is 2.01, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Tonga peaked at 5.18 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.09, in 2006.
That places Tonga 170th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Tonga, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.35 | — |
| 1992 | 1.35 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 1.3 | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 1.69 | +29.8% |
| 1995 | 1.99 | +17.7% |
| 1996 | 2.4 | +21.0% |
| 1997 | 2.88 | +19.7% |
| 1998 | 3.35 | +16.4% |
| 1999 | 3.69 | +10.2% |
| 2000 | 3.97 | +7.5% |
| 2001 | 4.37 | +10.1% |
| 2002 | 4.68 | +7.2% |
| 2003 | 5.18 | +10.6% |
| 2004 | 3.88 | -25.1% |
| 2005 | 2.54 | -34.5% |
| 2006 | 1.09 | -57.1% |
| 2007 | 1.21 | +11.0% |
| 2008 | 1.28 | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 1.42 | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 1.5 | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 1.59 | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 1.64 | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 1.75 | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.91 | +9.4% |
| 2015 | 2.02 | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 2.05 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 2.14 | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 2.25 | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 2.17 | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 2.71 | +25.3% |
| 2021 | 2.11 | -22.2% |
| 2022 | 2 | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 1.65 | -17.5% |
| 2024 | 1.97 | +18.9% |
| 2025 | 2.01 | +2.2% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 2.01 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.63, 36% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 2.01 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.05, 66% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Tonga changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | -57.1% | 2.54 | 1.09 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.22 | 1.3 | 3.69 | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.96 | 1.09 | 5.18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9 | 1.5 | 2.25 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.07 | 1.65 | 2.71 | 6 |
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 unemployment rate in Tonga?
- Unemployment rate in Tonga was 2.01 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 5.18 in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.09 in 2006.
- How does Tonga rank for unemployment rate?
- Tonga ranks 170th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. 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).