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PEOPLE OF KIRIBATI
Name of the People: noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural); adjective: Kiribati.
Ethnic Groups: I-Kiribati 95.78 percent, I-Kiribati/mixed 3.8 percent, Tuvaluan 0.2 percent, other 1.7 percent (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: Gilbertese, English (official). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Religions: Roman Catholic 58.9 percent, Kiribati Uniting Church 21.2 percent, Kiribati Protestant Church 8.4 percent, Church of Jesus Christ 5.6 percent, Seventh Day Adventist 2.1 percent, Baha'i 2.1 percent, other 1.7 percent (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of Kiribati
Population: 115,372 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 189. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: 1.02 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 91; Birth rate: 19.92 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 71; Death rate: 6.91 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 121; Net migration rate: -2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 179. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Distribution: consists of three achipelagos spread out over an area roughly the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa boasting a population density similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of Kiribati
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 27.06 percent (male 15,906/female 15,314); 15-64 years: 67.77 percent (male 37,634/female 40,559); 65 years and over: 5.17 percent (2023 estimate) (male 2,314/female 3,645). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 66.4; youth dependency ratio: 60.2; elderly dependency ratio: 6.2; potential support ratio: 16.1 (2021 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 25.7 years; male: 24.8 years; female: 26.6 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 157. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 57.8 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 2.77 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 64,000 TARAWA (capital) (2018)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 2.18 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 87; Gross reproduction rate: 1.06 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: 33.5 percent (2018/19). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female; total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Married Women (ages 15-49): 67.6 percent (2023 estimate)
Child Marriage: women married by age 15: 2.4 percent; women married by age 18: 18.4 percent; men married by age 18: 8.6 percent (2019 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Mother’s Mean Age at First Birth: .23.1 years (2009 estimate). Data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
Health of the People of Kiribati
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 68.22 years; male: 65.6 years; female: 70.97 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 187. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 32.2 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 34.17 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 30.14 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 44. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Maternal Mortality Ratio: 76 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 79. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Children Under the Age of Five Years That Are Underweight 6.9 percent (2018/19); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 69. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 46 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 9. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 0.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 0.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 165. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Percentage of Population That Uses Tobacco: total: 40.6 percent (2020 estimate); male: 53.9 percent (2020 estimate); female: 27.3 percent (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 3. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: 97.2 percent of population; rural: 63.1 percent of population; total: 82 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 2.8 percent of population; rural: 36.9 percent of population; total: 18 percent of population (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023