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

Health

live 16.4 years less

In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 →

be 63.5% more likely to be obese

In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 95.4% less spent on your healthcare

Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 42.2% less access to essential health services

Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 60.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

make 98.1% less money

Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 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 →

be 20.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Ireland, approximately 4.0 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 11.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 →

Basic Needs

be 18.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Ireland, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% 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 5.7 times more on education

Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 59.9% more on healthcare

Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 21.1% less coastline

Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 99.9% less home broadband

Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 90.2% less CO2

Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), 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 Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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