Tonga: Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Tonga's renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) fell 0.01 percentage points on 2020 (from 14.21% to 14.2%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2020), the average change was +0.7 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 3.1 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.02 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.27 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 19.23% for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.64%, against 2.83% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2021, Tonga had the 130th highest value of the 204 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 2021 ranking

• Cyprus — 127th of 204: 15.14%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 128th of 204: 15.02%
• Aruba — 129th of 204: 14.8%
• Czechia — 131st of 204: 14.02%
• Burkina Faso — 132nd of 204: 13.92%
• Senegal — 133rd of 204: 13.29%

What this measures

Renewable electricity is the share of electricity generated by renewable power plants in total electricity generated by all types of plants.

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

All 22 values

Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 3.87% (2021)
• Australia — 26.66% (2021)
• Brunei Darussalam — 0.02% (2021)
• Cambodia — 56.37% (2021)
• China — 28.43% (2021)
• Fiji — 60.07% (2021)
• French Polynesia — 23.73% (2021)
• Guam — 4.8% (2021)
• Hong Kong SAR, China

More environment data for Tonga

• Rural population — 81,794 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 78.84% (2025)
• Urban population — 21,948 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 21.16% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 113 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 1,120 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 1,233 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -0.42% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — -0.39% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 349 (2024)
• Agricultural land (% of land area)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Tonga's renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output)?

14.2% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 14.01 percentage points from 0.19% in 2000. The highest value was 14.21% in 2020 and the lowest 0.19% in 2000.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.