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Economy of Tonga vs United Arab Emirates compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Tonga has a GDP of $509M compared to $537B for the United Arab Emirates, ranking 191/197 and 29/197 by economy size, respectively.

Tonga has $224M in government debt (44.1% of GDP), compared to $172B (32.8% of GDP) in the United Arab Emirates.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

Tonga
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
United Arab Emirates
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Tonga UAE
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1970 - - $685,986,701 $14,070,592,924
1971 - - $939,893,600 $19,222,171,572
1972 - - $1,415,086,929 $26,734,126,559
1973 - - $4,231,243,616 $47,217,855,776
1974 - - $11,651,505,689 $54,063,519,993
1975 $32,506,742 - $14,720,728,249 $57,430,272,387
1976 $30,036,417 - $19,213,158,779 $66,921,691,096
1977 $34,139,388 - $24,871,775,165 $81,269,253,405
1978 $41,567,472 - $23,775,764,225 $79,977,394,655
1979 $44,667,002 - $31,225,659,621 $96,711,523,271
1980 $53,260,077 - $43,599,160,050 $119,801,181,765
1981 $62,242,013 $253,486,823 $49,333,424,135 $125,382,930,480
1982 $62,068,161 $265,505,306 $46,622,718,605 $116,958,054,939
1983 $60,863,964 $270,768,691 $42,803,323,345 $111,407,435,357
1984 $64,248,355 $275,475,712 $41,807,954,236 $115,882,617,757
1985 $60,058,663 $293,542,686 $40,603,650,232 $111,717,244,274
1986 $68,195,856 $299,761,860 $33,943,612,095 $95,006,426,309
1987 $81,667,133 $308,711,663 $36,384,908,744 $98,219,526,270
1988 $106,657,267 $302,902,105 $36,275,674,203 $95,647,247,530
1989 $106,344,855 $304,083,141 $41,464,995,914 $107,448,100,944
1990 $113,563,822 $297,867,403 $50,701,443,748 $127,141,173,341
1991 $132,201,141 $316,975,459 $51,552,165,622 $128,234,691,621
1992 $137,066,291 $317,774,152 $54,239,171,888 $132,524,071,346
1993 $138,489,884 $329,652,735 $55,625,170,253 $134,195,452,934
1994 $195,990,986 $345,978,857 $59,305,093,980 $143,449,770,720
1995 $208,871,666 $367,526,974 $65,743,666,576 $153,043,528,513
1996 $222,100,576 $367,868,474 $73,571,233,996 $161,917,610,698
1997 $214,991,452 $365,659,284 $78,839,008,445 $175,179,308,497
1998 $191,504,893 $374,042,303 $75,674,336,283 $175,690,822,167
1999 $199,208,718 $382,654,487 $84,445,473,111 $180,789,745,171
2000 $204,848,488 $397,019,710 $104,337,372,362 $200,410,321,466
2001 $181,117,230 $402,945,154 $103,311,640,572 $203,214,232,287
2002 $182,764,281 $420,792,496 $109,816,201,498 $208,159,362,863
2003 $202,246,591 $421,010,490 $124,346,358,067 $226,478,512,549
2004 $230,678,011 $412,725,225 $147,824,370,320 $248,144,435,950
2005 $261,823,805 $410,010,934 $180,617,467,965 $260,192,198,684
2006 $292,232,703 $401,131,477 $222,116,541,865 $285,788,137,283
2007 $298,519,623 $391,246,363 $257,916,133,424 $294,888,746,643
2008 $344,438,844 $410,272,053 $315,474,615,739 $304,301,112,625
2009 $312,415,028 $389,228,468 $253,547,358,747 $288,346,842,937
2010 $366,887,375 $392,437,256 $300,189,052,689 $292,968,610,444
2011 $414,143,828 $418,745,062 $360,832,739,551 $311,179,896,154
2012 $471,122,971 $422,596,516 $384,610,125,391 $316,857,313,566
2013 $451,788,498 $424,261,219 $400,218,529,748 $332,876,224,084
2014 $440,997,735 $432,706,298 $414,105,366,753 $346,742,821,790
2015 $437,525,539 $437,525,539 $370,275,469,571 $370,275,469,571
2016 $420,828,255 $466,396,531 $369,255,326,236 $390,868,305,597
2017 $459,976,847 $481,332,040 $390,516,804,030 $393,741,456,224
2018 $489,714,530 $484,641,421 $427,049,432,158 $398,914,879,875
2019 $494,197,854 $483,631,267 $417,989,721,743 $403,336,245,504
2020 $496,856,304 $492,256,327 $349,473,015,330 $383,342,656,333
2021 $518,228,029 $494,041,269 $415,178,792,757 $400,036,290,964
2022 $518,180,029 $482,629,586 $502,731,935,194 $430,077,804,445
2023 $508,735,107 $492,688,338 $514,130,432,648 $445,641,058,044
2024 - - $537,078,829,135 $462,404,360,915

Economic indicators

Tonga UAE
Gross domestic product
$509M
2023
$537B
2024
GDP rank
191/197
2023
29/197
2024
GDP growth
-1.82%
2022-2023
4.46%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$4,864
2023
$49,378
2024
GDP per capita rank
121/197
2023
24/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$7,853
2023
$77,959
2024
Government debt
$224M
2023
$172B
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
44.1%
2025
32.8%
2025
Government debt per person
$2,138
2023
$15,857
2024
Government debt per person rank
117/185
2023
39/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$4,126
2025
$40,921
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies n/a
$1.05T
2024
Number of millionaires n/a
202,201
2024
Number of billionaires n/a
6
2025
Income share by richest 10%
22%
2021
20.5%
2018
Income share by poorest 10%
4%
2021
2.8%
2018
Government expenditure, % of GDP
49.7%
2025
24%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
3.18%
2023-2024
1.6%
2024-2025
Central bank interest rate n/a
4.15%
2025
Unemployment rate
1.65%
2023
1.88%
2024
Population
103744
11372700

GDP per capita in Tonga vs United Arab Emirates

Tonga's GDP per capita is $4,864, ranking 121/197, compared to $49,378 in the United Arab Emirates, ranking 24/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Tonga ranks 141st at $7,853, while the United Arab Emirates ranks 16th at $77,959.

Tonga
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
United Arab Emirates
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Tonga UAE
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1970 - - $2,394 -
1971 - - $2,805 -
1972 - - $3,675 -
1973 - - $9,696 -
1974 - - $23,823 -
1975 $349 - $27,117 -
1976 $315 - $31,197 -
1977 $353 - $35,020 -
1978 $428 - $29,379 -
1979 $458 - $34,238 -
1980 $545 - $42,925 -
1981 $636 - $44,854 -
1982 $633 - $39,972 -
1983 $621 - $34,650 -
1984 $656 - $32,012 -
1985 $613 - $29,468 -
1986 $696 - $23,132 -
1987 $830 - $23,113 -
1988 $1,078 - $21,570 -
1989 $1,070 - $23,167 -
1990 $1,139 $2,416 $26,710 $86,949
1991 $1,323 $2,652 $25,691 $85,765
1992 $1,370 $2,716 $25,648 $86,019
1993 $1,383 $2,882 $25,033 $84,860
1994 $1,957 $3,088 $25,473 $88,427
1995 $2,084 $3,347 $27,003 $92,107
1996 $2,215 $3,410 $28,323 $93,009
1997 $2,136 $3,434 $27,983 $94,374
1998 $1,889 $3,527 $24,889 $88,693
1999 $1,952 $3,636 $25,856 $86,165
2000 $1,995 $3,834 $29,866 $91,318
2001 $1,754 $3,955 $27,745 $88,832
2002 $1,759 $4,171 $27,754 $86,960
2003 $1,936 $4,231 $29,660 $91,059
2004 $2,195 $4,235 $33,377 $96,982
2005 $2,478 $4,315 $38,719 $99,577
2006 $2,750 $4,327 $44,343 $104,995
2007 $2,797 $4,316 $45,855 $99,097
2008 $3,218 $4,600 $50,054 $93,017
2009 $2,914 $4,384 $37,803 $83,337
2010 $3,416 $4,465 $43,697 $83,671
2011 $3,850 $4,855 $50,789 $87,709
2012 $4,384 $4,996 $52,034 $87,340
2013 $4,219 $5,120 $52,024 $85,515
2014 $4,137 $5,336 $51,381 $85,248
2015 $4,124 $5,472 $43,535 $71,720
2016 $3,988 $5,920 $41,326 $67,702
2017 $4,366 $6,229 $42,341 $68,043
2018 $4,639 $6,403 $45,690 $75,071
2019 $4,677 $6,489 $44,251 $76,885
2020 $4,700 $6,690 $37,174 $65,353
2021 $4,913 $7,035 $43,360 $67,401
2022 $4,933 $7,394 $49,899 $73,778
2023 $4,864 $7,853 $49,041 $76,110
2024 - - $49,378 $77,959

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Tonga's government spending was $245M, accounting for 49.7% of its GDP, while the United Arab Emirates' spent $125B, or 24% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 44.1% in Tonga and 32.8% in the United Arab Emirates, ranking 120/185 and 156/185, respectively.

Tonga
Government spending

Government debt
United Arab Emirates
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Tonga UAE
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1991 - - 36% 4.97%
1992 - - 29.6% 5.31%
1993 - - 31.5% 6.01%
1994 - - 30.1% 5.58%
1995 - - 26.1% 5.06%
1996 - - 27.6% 3.48%
1997 - - 22.6% 2.86%
1998 - - 25.8% 4.18%
1999 18.8% 38.4% 24.3% 4.73%
2000 20% 43.6% 21.8% 3.12%
2001 19.1% 53.4% 25.2% 2.69%
2002 21.3% 60.7% 21.3% 3.43%
2003 20% 56.2% 20% 3.33%
2004 19.3% 52.2% 17.7% 4.08%
2005 19.8% 43.3% 15.7% 4.48%
2006 25.6% 39.6% 15.6% 5.05%
2007 23.2% 37.8% 17.7% 8.89%
2008 24% 34% 22% 8.95%
2009 23.9% 39.7% 35% 21.1%
2010 28.4% 44.7% 31.1% 18.8%
2011 32.6% 51.9% 30.3% 20.9%
2012 32% 60% 28.4% 20.7%
2013 34.3% 48.9% 29.6% 15.6%
2014 31.5% 47.4% 32.2% 13.8%
2015 37.4% 51.1% 27.2% 16.1%
2016 37.2% 49.4% 32.8% 19.3%
2017 39.7% 44.7% 28.1% 21.9%
2018 39.6% 45.8% 26.7% 21.3%
2019 39.9% 42.8% 28.4% 26.8%
2020 37.9% 42.6% 31.1% 41.3%
2021 44.6% 43% 26.4% 36.3%
2022 44.4% 43.8% 23.1% 32.1%
2023 48.2% 43.9% 23% 32.4%
2024 49.6% 38.2% 23.2% 32.1%
2025 49.7% 44.1% 24% 32.8%

Government deficit by year

In 2023, Tonga's government surplus, the difference between spending and revenue, was $31.2M, equivalent to 6.14% of GDP. This compares to the United Arab Emirates' surplus of $30.4B, or 5.91% of GDP.

Over the past 25 years, Tonga recorded a fiscal deficit in 7 of those years, while the United Arab Emirates ran a deficit in 6 years. On average, Tonga posted an annual surplus equal to +1.95% of GDP, compared to surplus of +4.96% of GDP for the United Arab Emirates.

Deficit/surplus
Tonga

United Arab Emirates
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Tonga UAE
1991 - 3.89%
1992 - 3.34%
1993 - -2.89%
1994 - -1.78%
1995 - 3.58%
1996 - 0.92%
1997 - 6.71%
1998 - 1%
1999 1.55% 1.31%
2000 1.35% 10.7%
2001 2.23% 1.21%
2002 2.59% -1.24%
2003 2.37% 2.35%
2004 4.23% 6.4%
2005 4.23% 16%
2006 1.34% 20.2%
2007 5.39% 17.1%
2008 2.14% 17.6%
2009 6.85% -6.13%
2010 -1.22% 0.53%
2011 -6.02% 5.17%
2012 -1.74% 8.77%
2013 -1.3% 8.18%
2014 6.38% 1.79%
2015 -2.75% -6.56%
2016 1.47% -3.05%
2017 3.58% -0.16%
2018 2.92% 3.77%
2019 3.28% 2.59%
2020 5.25% -2.47%
2021 -0.87% 4.03%
2022 -0.69% 9.97%
2023 6.14% 5.91%
2024 3.49% 4.83%
2025 -7.9% 2.89%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 29 years, Tonga has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 5.11%, compared with 2.76% in the United Arab Emirates. In 2024, inflation was 3.18% in Tonga and 1.6% in the United Arab Emirates.

Inflation
Tonga

United Arab Emirates
Year Inflation
Tonga UAE Tonga UAE
1996 3% 3%
1997 2.12% 3%
1998 3.27% 2%
1999 4.46% 2.1%
2000 6.33% 1.3%
2001 8.29% 2.8%
2002 10.4% 2.9%
2003 11.6% 3.1%
2004 11% 5%
2005 8.67% 6.2%
2006 6.15% 9.3%
2007 5.84% 11.1%
2008 10.4% 12.3%
2009 1.43% -4.7%
2010 3.53% 0.9%
2011 6.27% 0.9%
2012 1.15% 0.7%
2013 0.78% 1.1%
2014 2.51% 2.3%
2015 -1.05% 4.1%
2016 2.58% 1.6%
2017 7.52% 2%
2018 5.03% 3.1%
2019 1.18% -1.9%
2020 -0.35% -2.1%
2021 5.64% -0.1%
2022 11% 4.8%
2023 6.35% 1.6%
2024 3.18% 1.7%
2025 - 1.6%

Top exports between countries

Tonga
Export category Export value
Machinery & equipment $154K
UAE
Export category Export value
Textiles & consumer goods $148K
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $116K
Raw materials & minerals $112K
Machinery & equipment $96K
Chemicals & pharma $32K
Miscellaneous $18K
Raw agricultural goods $7K
Wood & paper products $3K
Metals $1K

Balance of trade

Tonga UAE
Current account balance
-$21.2M
2024
n/a
Current account balance ranking
76/189
2024
n/a
Current account balance, % of GDP
-5.91%
2023
n/a
Goods imports
$232M
2024
n/a
Goods exports
$10.8M
2024
n/a
Service imports
$161M
2024
n/a
Service exports
$109M
2024
n/a
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
75.4%
2023
93.7%
2023
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
18.8%
2023
108.6%
2023

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

Tonga UAE
Economic freedom 58.5 71.6
Economic freedom ranking 106/197 29/197
Property rights 67.9 65.4
Government integrity 45.8 65.9
Judicial effectiveness 65.7 35.2
Tax burden 84.9 96.9
Government spending 28.9 82.3
Fiscal health 96.3 97.9
Business freedom 59.5 84.2
Labor freedom 56.6 62.1
Monetary freedom 61 80.5
Trade freedom 75.4 78.4
Investment freedom 40 50
Financial freedom 20 60

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Tonga is 58.5, ranking 106/197, compared to 71.6 for the United Arab Emirates, ranking 29/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

Tonga
United Arab Emirates
Year Economic freedom index
Tonga UAE
1996 - 71.6
1997 - 71.9
1998 - 72.2
1999 - 71.5
2000 - 74.2
2001 - 74.9
2002 - 73.6
2003 - 73.4
2004 - 67.2
2005 - 65.2
2006 - 62.2
2007 - 62.6
2008 - 62.6
2009 54.1 64.7
2010 53.4 67.3
2011 55.8 67.8
2012 57 69.3
2013 56 71.1
2014 58.2 71.4
2015 59.3 72.4
2016 59.6 72.6
2017 63 76.9
2018 63.1 77.6
2019 57.7 77.6
2020 58.8 76.2
2021 57.5 76.9
2022 60.8 70.2
2023 60 70.9
2024 59.2 71.1
2025 58.5 71.6

More economic indicators

Tonga UAE
Services, % of GDP
50.2%
2023
51.6%
2023
Industry, % of GDP
13.5%
2023
47.7%
2023
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
17.5%
2023
0.7%
2023
GNI, Atlas method
$578M
2023
$538B
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$8,560
2023
$78,110
2024
Total reserves including gold
$377M
2024
$238B
2024
Total reserves ranking
163/177
2024
14/177
2024
Net foreign direct investment
$13.3M
2024
n/a
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
-$12.1M
2024
$45.6B
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$1.25M
2024
$23.4B
2024
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
3.17%
2023
n/a
Poverty at national poverty lines
20.6%
2021
19.5%
2020
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
27%
2023
27.1%
2023

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.