Tonga — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Tonga, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Tonga was 2.01% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 5.18% in 2003. The lowest was 1.09% in 2006 (about 1.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.18% per year.
Tonga ranks 171 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 91%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Tonga sits below it. It peaked in 2003 and has fallen 61% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 1%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 23 of 29 economies; Timor-Leste (1.59%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 57% in 2006. That is 4% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 1997. Doubling roughly every 59 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 174th of 187 in 1991 → 139th of 187 in 2000 → 175th of 187 in 2010 → 167th of 187 in 2020 → 166th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.01% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 1.97% | +0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 1.65% | -0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 2% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 2.11% | -0.6 pp |
| 2020 | 2.71% | +0.5 pp |
| 2019 | 2.17% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 2.25% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 2.14% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 2.05% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 2.02% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 1.91% | +0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 1.75% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 1.64% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 1.59% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 1.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 1.42% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 1.28% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 1.21% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 1.09% | -1.5 pp |
| 2005 | 2.54% | -1.3 pp |
| 2004 | 3.88% | -1.3 pp |
| 2003 | 5.18% | +0.5 pp |
| 2002 | 4.68% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 4.37% | +0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 3.97% | +0.3 pp |
| 1999 | 3.69% | +0.3 pp |
| 1998 | 3.35% | +0.5 pp |
| 1997 | 2.88% | +0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +0.4 pp |
| 1995 | 1.99% | +0.3 pp |
| 1994 | 1.69% | +0.4 pp |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 1.35% | +0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 1.35% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Tonga’s Unemployment in 1992?
1.35% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Tonga’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +49.0% in total — about 1.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 2.01%; 2024: 1.97%; 2023: 1.65%; 2022: 2%; 2021: 2.11%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.