Religion in Tonga

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Religion in Tonga (2022 Census)[1][2][3]

1. Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (34.4%)
2. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (19.6%)
3. Catholic Church (13.8%)
4. Free Church of Tonga (11.6%)
5. Church of Tonga (6.88%)
6. Other Christian (11.5%)
7. Baháʼí Faith (0.74%)
8. Other religions, no affiliation, and unstated (1.09%)

The Centenary Chapel (popularly called Saione, or Zion), located in Nuku'alofa. It is the national seat of the Free Wesleyan Church. Catholic Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua in Nuku'alofa

Christianity is the predominant religion in Tonga, with Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga having the most adherents.[2][4]

The Constitution of Tonga establishes freedom of religion, which is respected in practice by both the government and general society, although there are some laws which restrict commerce and broadcast media in accordance with Christian religious norms.

## Christianity

[edit]

Tongans are ardent churchgoers. Church service usually follows a call and response structure. Singing in the church is often done a cappella. Although a church attends primarily to the spiritual needs of the population, it also functions as the primary social hub.

Sunday is celebrated as a strict sabbath, enshrined so in the constitution, and despite some voices to the opposite, the Sunday ban is not likely to be abolished soon. No trade is allowed on Sunday, except essential services, after special approval by the minister of police. Those that break the law risk a fine or imprisonment.[5]

Along with others from Oceania, some Tongan Christians have attempted to develop their own unique theology which addresses the contextual questions offered by people of the Pacific. This includes the coconut theology of the Methodist Sione 'Amanaki Havea or the incarnational theology of the Catholic Bishop of Tonga Patelesio Finau.[6]

LDS Tonga Temple

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga had 66,361 members on record (about 60% of the population) with 173 congregations as of 2019.[7] According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tonga has a higher per-capita number of Latter-day Saints than any other country in the world.[8] However, according to the 2011 census, only 18.01% of Tongans belong to LDS Church and Tongans belonging to mainstream Christian denominations represent majority of the population.[9]

## Other religions

[edit]

Buddhism has begun to gain traction, growing from 0.2% to 0.4% of the population in five years.[10] Hinduism decreased from 104 people in 2006 to 100 in 2010.[9]

See also: Islam in Tonga

The Islam is also present in Tonga, 0.2 percent of total population is Muslim.[11]

The Baháʼí Faith in Tonga started after being set as a goal to introduce the religion in 1953,[12] and Baháʼís arrived in 1954.[13] With conversions and pioneers, the first Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1958.[14] Less than forty years later, in 1996, the Baháʼís of Tonga established their paramount Baháʼí school in the form of the Ocean of Light International School.[15] Around 2004 there were 29 local spiritual assemblies[13] and about 5% of the national population were members of the Baháʼí Faith though the Tonga Broadcasting Commission maintained a policy that does not allow discussions by members of the Baháʼí Faith of its founder, Bahá'u'lláh on its radio broadcasts.[16]

In the early 20th century, there were two early Sikh pioneers residing in Tonga who came from the Garhshankar tehsil of the Punjab.[17]

## Demographics

[edit]

According to the 2021 Tonga Census, the largest religious group in the country was the Free Wesleyan Church, comprising approximately 34.44% of the total population of 98,575. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints followed with 19.62%, and Catholics made up 13.84%. The Free Church of Tonga accounted for 11.59%, while the Church of Tonga represented 6.88% of the population. Other notable denominations included the Seventh Day Adventist Church (2.50%), the Assembly of God (2.49%), and other Pentecostal denominations (1.97%). Tokaikolo adherents made up 1.48%, and the Constitutional Church of Tonga accounted for 1.17%. Smaller religious groups included the Baha’i Faith (0.74%), Mo’ui Fo’ou ‘ia Kalaisi (0.60%), the Anglican and Gospel churches (both at 0.48%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.36%), and The Salvation Army (0.33%). Minority religions such as Hinduism and Islam each comprised around 0.08% of the population, while Buddhists made up 0.06%. Additionally, 0.58% of the population reported no religious affiliation, 0.17% did not state their religion, 0.72% identified with other religions, and 0.12% refused to answer.[18][19]

### Census figures

[edit]

Religions in Tonga by Census  Religion  | 1986[20] | 1996[20] | 2006[21] | 2011[22]

|
|
|
|

Christianity | 90,175  | 94,489  | 99,255  | 101,272
Baháʼí Faith | 0  | 595  | 686  | 777
Hinduism | 0  | 0  | 104  | 100
Buddhism | 0  | 0  | 71  | 183
Islam | 0  | 35  | 47  | 24
Other  | 2,874  | 830  | 202  | 877
Refuse to answer  | 0  | 10  | 1,698  | 275
None  | 0  | 61  | 28  | 288
Total  | 94,049  | 96,020  | 101,991  | 103,043
Christian groups in Tonga by Census  Religion  | 1986[20] | 1996[20] | 2006[21] | 2011[22]

|
|
|
|

Free Wesleyan Church | 40,371  | 39,703  | 38,052  | 36,592
Catholic | 14,921  | 15,309  | 15,922  | 15,441
Latter-day Saints | 11,270  | 13,225  | 17,109  | 18,554
Free Church of Tonga | 10,413  | 11,226  | 11,599  | 11,863
Church of Tonga | 6,882  | 7,016  | 7,295  | 6,935
Tokaikolo Christian Church | 3,047  | 2,919  | 2,597  | 2,533
Anglican Church | 563  | 720  | 765  | 728
Seventh-day Adventist Church | 2,143  | 2,381  | 2,282  | 2,331
Assembly of God | 565  | 1,082  | 2,350  | 2,602
Constitutional Church of Tonga  | 0  | 845  | 941  | 961
Gospel Church  | 0  | 63  | 243  | 236
Jehovah's Witnesses | 0  | 0  | 0  | 462
Other Pentecostal Denomination  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 1,034
Total  | 90,175  | 94,489  | 99,255  | 101,272

## Religious freedom

[edit]

The constitution of Tonga establishes the freedom of religion, with the qualification that this freedom is not used to "commit evil" or to otherwise violate the law. The constitution forbids commercial transactions on Sundays in accordance with the Christian Sabbath, although the tourism industry is granted some exceptions from this rule.[23]

Religious organizations are not required to register with the government, but may do so in order to receive tax exemptions, the right to issue legally recognized marriage certificates, and other privileges. Foreign missionaries may operate in the country without special restrictions.[23]

Public schools may choose to include up to an hour of religious education per week; students are required to attend religious education courses pertaining to the religion that they profess. Many religious organizations operate private schools.[23]

The government allows religious organizations to broadcast programming on TV Tonga and Radio Tonga, officially with the restriction that they must limit their messaging to be "within the limits of the mainstream Christian tradition". Despite this restriction, in the past the Baháʼí Faith community has televised programming, although the community has since discontinued this program. As of 2017, there have been no reports of the government denying requests for air time from any religious organization.[23]

## See also

[edit]

* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga
* Hinduism in Tonga
* Islam in Tonga
* Tongan religion

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Census Report and Factsheet. | Tonga Statistics Department". Retrieved 2025-04-19.
2. ^ a b "Tonga Religions - Demographics".
3. ^ "TONGA 2020 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT" (PDF). United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
4. ^ "Census Report and Factsheet. | Tonga Statistics Department". Retrieved 2025-04-19.
5. ^ "Tonga – Mandatory Sunday Rest Laws and the International Date Line". ReligiousLiberty TV. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
6. ^ Forman, Charles W. (July 2005). "Finding Our Own Voice: The Reinterpreting of Christianity by Oceanian Theologians" (PDF). International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 29 (3): 115–122\. doi:10.1177/239693930502900301. S2CID 147338574. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016.
7. ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temples
8. ^ ^ Jump up to: a b Church News: Country information: Tonga, churchofjesuschrist.org, accessed 2013-12-15
9. ^ a b "Home | Statistics for Development Division".
10. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2007-09-14). "Tonga". 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
11. ^ "The Guide to the Religions in Tonga - Tonga Pocket Guide". 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
12. ^ Hassall, Graham (1992), "Pacific Baha'i Communities 1950-1964", in H. Rubinstein, Donald (ed.), Pacific History: Papers from the 8th Pacific History Association Conference, University of Guam Press & Micronesian Area Research Center, Guam, pp. 73–95
13. ^ a b Tuitahi, Sione; Bolouri, Sohrab (2004-01-28), "Tongan Baha'is parade to the palace", Baháʼí World News Service
14. ^ Hassall, Graham (1996), "Baháʼí Faith in the Asia Pacific Issues and Prospects", Baháʼí Studies Review, vol. 6, pp. 1–10
15. ^ Baháʼí International Community (2006-07-17), "Ocean of Light School celebrates 10th anniversary", Baháʼí World News Service
16. ^ Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2006-09-15). "International Religious Freedom Report - Tonga". United States State Department. Retrieved 2008-09-15.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
17. ^ McLeod, W. H. (1989). "The First Forty Years of Sikh Migration: Problems and Some Possible Solutions". In Barrier, Norman Gerald; Dusenbery, Verne A. (eds.). The Sikh Diaspora: Migration and the Experience Beyond Punjab (1st ed.). South Asia Books. p. 33\. ISBN 9788170010470. "The ripples from Singapore certainly spread as far as New Zealand and Fiji, and the two Sikhs from Garhshankar tahsil who were in Tonga early this century (McLeod 1986: 103) should serve to remind us that few territories were so remote as to be beyond their range."
18. ^ Tonga 2011 Census of Population and Housing, Volume 2: Analytical Report (Report). Vol. 2\. Secretariat of the Pacific Community, New Caledonia. January 2014. p. 33. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
19. ^ "Census Report and Factsheet. | Tonga Statistics Department". Retrieved 2025-04-19.
20. ^ a b c d CENSUS96 Admin, Tonga Department of Statistics, 11/15/2011, pages xxii, 14
21. ^ a b [1], Tonga Department of Statistics
22. ^ a b Census Report 2011 Vol.1 rev., Tonga Department of Statistics, 11/07/2013, page 39
23. ^ a b c d International Religious Freedom Report 2017 § Tonga, US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

## External links

[edit]

* The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga

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