School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Tonga
Tonga: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 14,096 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
14,096
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
190th
of 222 countries
All-time high
17,654
in 1977
All-time low
14,096
in 2025
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Tonga, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, primary education, both sexes in Tonga is 14,096, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Tonga peaked at 17,654 in 1977 and was at its lowest, 14,096, in 2025.
That places Tonga 190th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14,807 | — |
| 1971 | 15,169 | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 15,525 | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 15,878 | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 16,223 | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 16,807 | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 17,300 | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 17,654 | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 17,585 | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 17,481 | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 17,301 | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 17,021 | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 16,698 | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 16,361 | -2.0% |
| 1984 | 16,196 | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 15,997 | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 15,878 | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 15,859 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 16,017 | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 16,210 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 16,391 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 16,507 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 16,533 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 16,443 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 16,220 | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 15,916 | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 15,577 | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 15,313 | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 15,278 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 15,380 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 15,018 | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 15,034 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 15,117 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 15,166 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 15,215 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 15,264 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 15,313 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 15,325 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 14,774 | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 14,787 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 14,788 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 14,780 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 14,667 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 14,633 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 14,552 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 14,470 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 14,518 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 14,686 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 14,856 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 15,024 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 15,194 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 15,362 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 15,530 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 14,701 | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 14,380 | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 14,096 | -2.0% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 14,096 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 510,283, 3% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 14,096 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 233,762, 6% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16,443 | 14,807 | 17,654 | 10 |
| 1980s | 16,354 | 15,859 | 17,301 | 10 |
| 1990s | 15,956 | 15,278 | 16,533 | 10 |
| 2000s | 15,101 | 14,774 | 15,325 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,697 | 14,470 | 15,024 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,877 | 14,096 | 15,530 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 187 Martinique 16,650 compare
- 188 Saint Lucia 14,694 compare
- 189 Micronesia (country) 14,212 compare
- 191 Curacao 12,203 compare
- 192 Grenada 10,476 compare
- 193 Seychelles 10,376 compare
More education data for Tonga
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,086 (2015)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 20 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1,228 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1,164 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,132 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15,644 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1502 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Tonga?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Tonga was 14,096 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 17,654 in 1977.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,096 in 2025.
- How does Tonga rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Tonga ranks 190th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release