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

Health

live 9.9 years longer

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 28.9% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

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see 6.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

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have 62.5% more access to essential health services

Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Romania scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 44.9% less likely to die by suicide

Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 8.8 times more money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

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be 3.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kiribati, 5.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Romania, however, that number is 18.4% as of 2024.

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Life

be 85.0% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 84.5% 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 70.4% fewer children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 26.5% 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 Romania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 80.0% less on education

Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 47.9% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 80.3% less coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

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Safety

be 54.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 1193.3 times more home broadband

Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 6.3 times more CO2

Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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