Local time--:--:--South Tarawa ·

Oceania / Micronesia · Card 010

Kiribati

Kiribati is a country in Micronesia. Its capital is South Tarawa.

Find Kiribati

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers. The map keeps the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line groups together across the 180° meridian. The clock shows South Tarawa time; the country spans several time zones.

At a glance

Capital: South Tarawa
Languages: English & Gilbertese
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Population: 136,4882025 · World Bank
Area: 811 km²313.13 square miles
Independence: 1979from the UK

Kiribati in context

Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks South Tarawa; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs.

Languages

Languages used in public life include English, Gilbertese.

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.

Flag

The upper half is red with a yellow frigatebird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three wavy horizontal white stripes to represent the Pacific Ocean

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

The Gilbert Islands came under British protection in 1892 and later formed part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony. The Battle of Tarawa in 1943 was a major Pacific campaign of the Second World War. After the Ellice Islands separated to become Tuvalu, the Gilbert Islands achieved independence as Kiribati in 1979, including the Phoenix and Line island groups.

1892
The Gilbert Islands become a British protectorate
1943
The Battle of Tarawa takes place
1979
Kiribati becomes independent
1999
Kiribati joins the United Nations

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Fishing access fees are a major source of government revenue. Coconut products, small-scale fishing, public services, remittances and external assistance also support livelihoods. Widely dispersed islands and limited land resources raise transport costs. Sea-level rise and coastal flooding threaten settlements and infrastructure.

Industry and production

Fishing and fish processing, copra production, small businesses and public services.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Thousands of people

136.52025 · thousands of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Thousands of people
1970	57,510	57.510
1980	61,148	61.148
1990	74,855	74.855
2000	88,613	88.613
2010	108,704	108.704
2020	126,099	126.099
2025	136,488	136.488

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

0.292025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	103,872,769	0.104
1991	98,005,325	0.098
1992	121,486,649	0.121
1993	121,360,309	0.121
1994	123,842,439	0.124
1995	127,250,841	0.127
1996	127,184,611	0.127
1997	128,681,743	0.129
1998	134,398,139	0.134
1999	129,137,484	0.129
2000	137,844,792	0.138
2001	133,510,774	0.134
2002	135,442,881	0.135
2003	133,309,024	0.133
2004	132,497,215	0.132
2005	134,209,649	0.134
2006	141,962,853	0.142
2007	146,299,931	0.146
2008	141,933,271	0.142
2009	142,695,171	0.143
2010	144,444,545	0.144
2011	149,158,821	0.149
2012	157,815,491	0.158
2013	170,016,084	0.170
2014	172,164,514	0.172
2015	191,559,399	0.192
2016	205,137,195	0.205
2017	212,751,891	0.213
2018	220,037,915	0.220
2019	227,323,939	0.227
2020	224,409,529	0.224
2021	243,353,191	0.243
2022	255,739,431	0.256
2023	263,754,057	0.264
2024	276,140,297	0.276
2025	287,797,935	0.288

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.644Medium human developmentRank 140 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

20100.600

20200.632

20230.644

66.5 yearsLife expectancy at birth

9.1 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A presidential republic with an elected President, called the Beretitenti, and a single-chamber House of Assembly, the Maneaba ni Maungatabu. Parliament nominates presidential candidates before a national popular vote.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Kiribati.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Which three island groups make up Kiribati?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.