Tonga: ICT goods imports (% total goods imports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Tonga's ICT goods imports (% total goods imports) fell 0.88 percentage points on 2022 (from 4.12% to 3.24%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.49 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.94 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.69 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.08 percentage points in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Tonga had the 19th highest value of the 34 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Tonga in the 2023 ranking

• Tunisia — 16th of 34: 3.56%
• Jordan — 17th of 34: 3.45%
• West Bank and Gaza — 18th of 34: 3.33%
• Dominica — 20th of 34: 3.11%
• Kenya — 21st of 34: 3.03%
• Jamaica — 22nd of 34: 2.85%

What this measures

Information and communication technology goods imports include computers and peripheral equipment, communication equipment, consumer electronic equipment, electronic components, and other information and technology goods (miscellaneous).

Limitations: Detailed trade data are widely available from country trade statistics. These are collected by the UNSD and published in their UN COMTRADE database. The ICT goods trade indicators are usually compiled by interested international and national agencies using COMTRADE data. Concepts are therefore consistent with those applying to the COMTRADE database. The main statistical issue associated with this indicator appears to be the different treatment of re-exports and re-imports by countries, depending on whether the Special or General Trade System is used.2 Re-imports are separately reported for some countries and the value of ICT re-imports (which is included in the value of ICT imports for those…

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 21 values

ICT goods imports (% total goods imports) in nearby economies

• Australia — 8.27% (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 1.32% (2024)
• Cambodia — 2% (2024)
• China — 22.48% (2024)
• Fiji — 5.2% (2024)
• French Polynesia — 3.03% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 55.89% (2024)
• Indonesia — 8.11% (2024)
• Japan — 12.39% (2024)
• Kiribati — 3.72% (2021)

More infrastructure data for Tonga

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 3,280 (2022)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 3.12 (2022)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 64,838 (2022)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 61.73 (2022)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 85.31% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 67.44% (2024)
• Scientific and technical journal articles — 4.85 (2023)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$767,593 (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 0.72% (2025)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Tonga's ICT goods imports (% total goods imports)?

3.24% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 2.26 percentage points from 0.98% in 2000. The highest value was 9.4% in 2014 and the lowest 0.98% in 2000.

How does Tonga rank?

19th highest of 34 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in ICT goods imports (% total goods imports) unusual for Tonga?

In 2023, Tonga's ICT goods imports (% total goods imports) fell 0.88 percentage points on 2022 (from 4.12% to 3.24%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.49 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.94 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.ICTG.ZS.UN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNCTADstat database, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), uri: http://unctadstat.unctad.org/ReportFolders/reportFolders.aspx Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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