Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 17.4 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 7.7 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
see 92.5% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
have 42.2% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
make 92.9% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.4 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Kiribati, 79% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.9 times more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.2% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.9% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 92.5% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.