Kiribati - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Kiribati. 21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean -- the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru; Kiribati is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western). Mother's mean age at first birth is 23.1 years (2009 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 76 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Kiribati
| Location | Oceania, group of 32 coral atolls and one raised coral island in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 1 25 N, 173 00 E |
| Map references | Oceania |
| Tarrain | mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs |
| Natural Resources | phosphate (production discontinued in 1979), coconuts (copra), fish |
| Natural Hazards | typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level |
| Irrigated Land | 0 sq km (2022) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | |
| Coastline | 1,143 km |
| Climate | tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 811 sq km |
| Water Area | 0 sq km |
| comparative Area | four times the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | unnamed elevation on Banaba 81 m |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 2 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 42% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 2.5% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 39.5% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 15% (2018 est.) |
| Other | 43% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Consists of three achipelagos spread out over an area roughly the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa boasting a population density similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong
People and Society
In Kiribati, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: I-Kiribati 95.78%, I-Kiribati/mixed 3.8%, Tuvaluan 0.2%, other 1.7% (2020 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 1% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 19.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 6.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 11.6% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 1.9 beds/1,000 population (2016) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.15 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 1.05 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 33.5% (2018/19) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 67.6% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | |
| Education expenditures | 12.4% of GDP (2019 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Kiribati | I-Kiribati (singular and plural) |
| Languages | Gilbertese, English (official) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 58.9%, Kiribati Uniting Church 21.2%, Kiribati Protestant Church 8.4%, Church of Jesus Christ 5.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.1%, Baha'i 2.1%, other 1.7% (2020 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 26.8% (male 15,895/female 15,304) |
| 15-64 years | 67.9% (male 38,046/female 41,059) |
| 65 years and over | 5.4% (2024 est.) (male 2,423/female 3,818) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 66.4 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 60.2 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 6.2 |
| Potential support ratio | 16.1 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 27.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 26.4 years |
| Female | 28.2 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 57.8% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 64,000 TARAWA (capital) (2018). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.93 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.63 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 31.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 33.5 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 29.4 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 68.5 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 65.9 years |
| Female | 71.3 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 97.2% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 63.1% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 82% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 2.8% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 36.9% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 18% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 75.4% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 45.4% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 62.1% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 24.6% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 54.6% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 37.9% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 0.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 0.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 40.6% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 53.9% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 27.3% (2020 est.) |
| Child marriage | |
| Women married by age 15 | 2.4% |
| Women married by age 18 | 18.4% |
| Men married by age 18 | 8.6% (2019 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Kiribati
Want to know more about Kiribati? Check all different factbooks for Kiribati below.
