If you lived in Kiribati instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

live 4.5 years longer

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 6.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 14.3% more access to essential health services

Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 6.8 times more likely to be obese

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 99.2% more likely to die by suicide

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 90.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

make 3.2 times more money

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 81.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 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 44.0% more likely to be literate

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.

View global rankings →

be 31.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 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 38.1% fewer children

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 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 4.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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 4.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 79% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 5.8 times more on education

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 3.0 times more on healthcare

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 30.9 times more coastline

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 62.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 31.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 9.8 times more CO2

Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 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. 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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