New national data on nearly 200 indicators for children, adolescents and families will guide
ministries and development partners as they set Tonga’s priorities
Nuku‘alofa, 30th September 2026 – The Tonga Statistics Department (TSD) today released the results of the Tonga Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2024, making Tonga the first country in the Pacific to publish final results from the seventh global round of MICS (MICS7). The Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Viliami Uasike Latu, officially launched the report at a ceremony at Ancient Tonga, attended by government leaders, development partners and members of the
survey teams.
TSD led the survey with technical and financial support from UNICEF and funding from the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Field teams collected data from households across all five island divisions, beginning in October 2024. Because Tonga implemented MICS in 2019, the new results show not only where the country stands today but how the situation of children and families has changed over five years. “The 2024 MICS provides comprehensive information on the well-being of children, women and families. It covers important areas such as health, nutrition, education, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as other indicators that are critical to human and social development” said Hon Dr Viliami Uasike Latu, Deputy Prime Minister of Tonga
“Behind every figure in this report is a household that opened its door to our teams, and an enumerator who made the journey to reach it, from Tongatapu to Vava‘u, Ha‘apai, ‘Eua and the Ongo Niua,” said Mr. Sione Lolohea, Government Statistician and Chief Executive Officer of the Tonga Statistics Department. “I thank our data collection teams and TSD staff for the discipline they brought to every interview, our colleagues at UNICEF for their technical and financial support at every stage of the survey, and our development partners, particularly the Australian Government through DFAT, whose funding made MICS 2024 possible.
“This data now belongs to every ministry and every partner working in Tonga. It gives us one shared evidence base to set priorities, direct resources to the children and families who need them most, and check whether our policies are working. I encourage ministries, development partners, researchers and the media to use these results as Tonga shapes its development agenda for the years ahead,” he said.“I am proud to say Tonga has achieved a major milestone, being the first country in the Pacific region to release the final results of MICS round 7 which has an expanded coverage of SDG indicators, with data on close to 200 indicators related to child well-being, making it one of the most comprehensive household survey programmes globally,” said Ms. Anna Smeby, UNICEF Pacific Deputy Representative (OIC).
“Although Tonga has made significant progress with near universal coverage of key SDG indicators since the last MICS in 2019, several child deprivations remain to be addressed for example:
- Exclusive breastfeeding for children less than 6 months has declined from 40 per cent in 2019 to 32 per cent in 2024. Similarly, percentage of children 6-23 months who received the minimum acceptable diet decreased from 27 per cent in 2019 to 19 per cent in 2024;
- Prevalence of overweight among children under 5 years old has not declined (11 per cent in 2019 and 12 per cent in 2024).
- Early Childhood Education attendance among children 36-59 months decreased from 35 per cent in 2019 to 24 per cent in 2024
- Prevalence of violent discipline among children 1-14 years has not declined (87 per cent in 2019, 88 per cent in 2024).
“MICS is not the end but a beginning to use these new and disaggregated data now available and with additional analysis that UNICEF can support to inform policies and programs that can transform the lives of all Tongan children.” she added.
The ceremony also marked the release of other recent TSD publications, including key findings from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2025.
Access the data
The full Tonga MICS 2024 Survey Findings Report and the Key Findings Snapshots are free to download from: https://tongastats.gov.to/mics-survey-2/.
About MICS
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) are household surveys developed by UNICEF and carried out by national statistics offices. They produce internationally comparable data on the situation of children, adolescents, women and households, and are a major source of data for monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Tonga previously conducted MICS in 2019.
About the Tonga Statistics Department
The Tonga Statistics Department is the official provider of statistics for the Kingdom of Tonga, responsible for national censuses, household surveys and economic and social statistics.
For media queries and interviews, please contact:
Mr. Peni Lakai
Assistant Government Statistician, Tonga Statistics Department
Email: plakai@stats.gov.to
Phone: +676 777230