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

Health

live 16.4 years less

In Malta, 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.

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be 48.9% more likely to be obese

In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 93.0% less spent on your healthcare

Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.

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have 43.5% less access to essential health services

Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 67.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

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make 94.7% less money

Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.3 times more children

In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 10.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Malta, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 8.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Malta, approximately 4.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 20.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Malta, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 3.5 times more on education

Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 23.9% more on healthcare

Malta spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 5.8 times more coastline

Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.

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Safety

be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 99.9% less home broadband

Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 81.4% less CO2

Malta emits 3.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.

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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.
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How big is Kiribati compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.

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