If you lived in Kiribati instead of Afghanistan, you would:

Health

see 21.6% more spent on your healthcare

Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 17.1% more access to essential health services

Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 4.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 6.1 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 84.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.6 times more likely to be literate

In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.

View global rankings →

be 19.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Kiribati, on the other hand, 38.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 27.7% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 12.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 96% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 5.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 27.0% less on healthcare

Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 5.7 times more on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 74.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 62.5% less home broadband

Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 65.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 2.1 times more CO2

Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

Kiribati: At a glance

Kiribati is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 811 sq km. The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Read more

How big is Kiribati compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kiribati or Afghanistan. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.