School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Tonga
Tonga: School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) was 17,434 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17,434
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
186th
of 220 countries
All-time high
18,537
in 1984
All-time low
11,678
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, secondary education, both sexes in Tonga, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 17,434 for school age population, secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, secondary education, both sexes in Tonga peaked at 18,537 in 1984 and was at its lowest, 11,678, in 1970.
That places Tonga 186th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11,678 | — |
| 1971 | 12,028 | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 12,377 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 12,735 | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 13,094 | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 13,680 | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 14,345 | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 15,018 | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 15,061 | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 15,116 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 15,228 | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 15,398 | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 15,604 | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 15,790 | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 18,537 | +17.4% |
| 1985 | 18,394 | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 18,060 | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 17,560 | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 16,968 | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 16,507 | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 16,240 | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 16,161 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 16,229 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 16,421 | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 16,681 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 16,951 | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 17,196 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 17,302 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 14,796 | -14.5% |
| 1999 | 14,527 | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 14,500 | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 14,486 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 14,416 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 14,372 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 14,328 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 14,284 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 14,242 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 14,260 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 14,090 | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 14,052 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 13,988 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 13,894 | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 15,642 | +12.6% |
| 2013 | 15,546 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 15,425 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 15,301 | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 15,746 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 15,813 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 15,880 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 15,947 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 16,013 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 16,081 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 16,149 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 17,397 | +7.7% |
| 2024 | 17,454 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 17,434 | -0.1% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 17,434 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 700,834, 2% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 17,434 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 182,840, 10% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13,513 | 11,678 | 15,116 | 10 |
| 1980s | 16,805 | 15,228 | 18,537 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,250 | 14,527 | 17,302 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,303 | 14,052 | 14,500 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,318 | 13,894 | 15,947 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,755 | 16,013 | 17,454 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 183 New Caledonia 29,524 compare
- 184 Martinique 26,885 compare
- 185 Kiribati 19,371 compare
- 187 Barbados 17,071 compare
- 188 Micronesia (country) 14,331 compare
- 189 Curacao 12,885 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, secondary education, both sexes in Tonga?
- School age population, secondary education, both sexes in Tonga was 17,434 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 18,537 in 1984.
- What is the lowest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,678 in 1970.
- How does Tonga rank for school age population, secondary education, both sexes?
- Tonga ranks 186th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, secondary 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