If you lived in Kiribati instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:

Health

live 2.3 years longer

In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 62.2% more spent on your healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.

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have 29.7% more access to essential health services

Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 89.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Guinea-Bissau, 50.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

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make 2.3 times more money

Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.

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Life

be 84.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 54.2% more likely to be literate

In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.

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have 14.4% fewer children

In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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.

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be 3.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.

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be 27.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 6.1 times more on education

Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 24.1% more on healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 3.3 times more coastline

Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.

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Safety

be 79.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 92.3% less home broadband

Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 44.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.7 times more CO2

Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). 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.
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How big is Kiribati compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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