By Eleanor Gee

For the first time in 30 years there are more females than males in Tonga, especially on Tongatapu, according to the 2016 Population Census preliminary data released by the Statistics department recently.

Males have featured prominently in the population census since 1986 and at last count in 2011, there were 706 more males than females. In 2016 however, females have surpassed males by 121.  

On Tongatapu, the census shows a higher number of females, 337 more than males compared with the other island groups.

So single women may need to look to the outer island groups of Vava’u, Ha’apai, the Niuas and ‘Eua where the census records 216 more males than females across these islands.

Declining population

Tonga’s population has for the first time declined by 2.4 % to 100,745 compared to 103,252 in 2011. 

A few factors should be considered for the slight decline in population.

Since 1986, the population of Tonga has only grown by a mere 6,096. This reflects the state of the economy over the years.

Lack of investment in the country, foreign or local, and high reliance on imported goods and commodities means lack of jobs for the thousands of school leavers each year so more people are migrating overseas to make a living.

Tongans are also leaving to further their studies with few returning to work because of the lack of opportunities available, others are away on seasonal jobs.

The decline in population also includes seasonal workers away in New Zealand and Australia picking fruit.

Tongans, mainly males, are away from home for at least six months of the year. They are not counted when the census is conducted and this could also explain why females outnumber males in the recent census.

Sione Lolohea from the Statistics Department said that they count and record people who are in the country on census day.

“All Tongan residents overseas, for different reasons – such as fruit picking, school/education, workshop, short travel, are not counted.”

Urban population

Rural to urban migration has been increasing since 1986 with almost three quarters of Tonga’s total population, 74,685 living on Tongatapu.

Ha’apai and the Niuas are losing the highest amount of people. This could be attributed to the destructive force of natural disasters such as the 2009 tsunami affecting the Niuas and Cyclone Ian thrashing Ha’apai in 2014. Further study and looking for other ways to make a living also contribute to the urban shift.

Worryingly, the total population for the Niuas has declined by almost half since 1986 with only 1232 people recorded living there in 2016. The Niua people speak their own dialect but with the decline in population, that dialect may disappear altogether.

The 2016 population for Vava’u is 13,740, Ha’apai 6,138, ‘Eua 4,950, the Niuas 1,232 and Tongatapu 74,685.

A summary of the preliminary report can be downloaded -  Tonga Census 2016 Preliminary Count.pdf [2].