Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 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 3.8 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
have 29.4% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
be 87.6% more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Life
have 96.8% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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 66.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 96% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 15.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In North Korea, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 79% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 54.2% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Environment
be 43.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
emit 76.4% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.