Demographics of Tonga, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
Almost two-thirds of the population of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial center, Nukuʻalofa, where European and indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Tonga is said to have the highest proportion of Mormons of any state or country outside of Utah. Other important Christian denominations include Methodists (Free Wesleyan) and Roman Catholics.
Tongans, a Polynesian group with a very small mixture of Melanesian, represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European, mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several hundred Chinese.
Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in state schools. Mission schools provide about 83% of the primary and 90% of the secondary level education. Higher education includes teacher training, nursing and medical training, a small private university, a women's business college, and a number of private agricultural schools. Most higher education is pursued overseas.
- 112,422 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 36.2% (male 20,738/female 19,907)
- 15-64 years: 59.7% (male 33,226/female 33,853)
- 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,031/female 2,667) (2005 est.)
Population growth rate
- 2.01% (2006 est.)
- 25.18 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
- 5.35 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio
- At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
- Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
- 14.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
- Total population: 69.53 years
- Male: 67.05 years
- Female: 72.14 years (2005 est.)
- 3 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Health
70 per cent of Tongan women aged 15-85 are obese. Tonga and nearby Nauru have the world’s fattest populations.[1]
- Noun: Tongan(s)
- Adjective: Tongan
- Polynesian, Europeans about 300
Religions
Free Wesleyans (38,052 or 37%); Mormons (17,109 or 17%); Catholics (15,992 or 16%); Free Church of Tonga (11,599 or 11%) (Census 2006)
Languages
- Tongan, English
- Definition: Can read and write Tongan and/or English
- Total population: 98.5%
- Male: 98.4%
- Female: 98.7% (1996 est.)
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