Overview of Human Rights in Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga is a constitutional monarchy. Though party politics are limited, there has been a trend toward more participation by elected officials in government.  Meanwhile, recent elections for the Legislative Assembly were considered generally free and fair by international monitors. As well, the government respected strikers’ rights during a six-week civil servant strike. However, there are still areas in which problems exist. The government limits the freedom of speech and gives more privileges to the businesses of royal family members than to commoners businesses. There is a marked lack of response to petitions and requests for a more balanced parliament in terms of the ratio of voter elected representatives versus monarch appointed ones.  Overall, Tonga has a good human rights record in the world today.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

55th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.