Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
live 11.4 years longer
In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 79.6% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 68.8% more access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
be 48.8% less likely to die by suicide
Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.4 times more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 80.0% 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 89.4% 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 73.3% fewer children
In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.6% 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 China, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 76.2% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.8% less on healthcare
Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.7 times more coastline
Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 1573.0 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 30.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.8 times more CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kiribati vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.