Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.3% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
see 68.8% more spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 25.0% more access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 72.0% less likely to die by suicide
Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 75.6% more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Kiribati, 5.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
Life
be 41.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 64.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
be 34.2% less likely to be literate
In Kiribati, the literacy rate is 98.6% as of 2020. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
have 50.5% fewer children
In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.3% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.6% less on healthcare
Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 96.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.3 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 16.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kiribati vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.