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

Health

live 5.8 years less

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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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be 14.9% more likely to be obese

In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 52.4% less spent on your healthcare

Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.

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have 18.6% less access to essential health services

Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 5.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 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 68.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

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make 52.7% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.

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Life

be 17.3% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.

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be 21.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In Iraq, approximately 66.0 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 93.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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.

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Basic Needs

be 19.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Iraq, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 98.0% more on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.5% 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 19.7 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.

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Safety

be 23.4% less likely to be murdered

Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Kiribati, that number is 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2012.

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be 71.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 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 99.8% less home broadband

Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 43.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.

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emit 88.6% less CO2

Iraq emits 5.2 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 (2012–2021), 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.
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How big is Kiribati compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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