Kiribati Population
Kiribati had an estimated population of 136,488 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 187th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.00% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.45% a year.
Kiribati at a glance
How Kiribati's population is changing
Kiribati's population is growing: +1.45% a year, which works out to about +1,984 people per year, or +5 a day. Births (25.3 per 1,000) and deaths (7.1 per 1,000) alone would give +1.82% a year; net migration removes about 462 people a year (−0.34%). Roughly one in every 60,192 people on Earth lives in Kiribati.
Population of Kiribati since 1960
In 1960, Kiribati had 47,157 people. By 2025 that was 136,488 — 2.9× larger. The fastest growth came between 1982 and 1992, when the population rose by 23%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47,157 | — |
| 1970 | 57,510 | +22.0% |
| 1980 | 61,148 | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 74,855 | +22.4% |
| 2000 | 88,613 | +18.4% |
| 2010 | 108,704 | +22.7% |
| 2020 | 126,099 | +16.0% |
| 2025 | 136,488 | +8.2% |
Kiribati from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Kiribati at about 17,876 people in 1800; the UN estimates 136,505 in 2025 (8× 1800) and projects 222,652 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 63% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 17,876 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 20,657 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 28,664 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 37,871 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 88,632 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 136,505 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 182,635 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 212,629 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 222,652 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Kiribati
3 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 136,488. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarawa | 40,311 | GeoNames settlement | 29.53% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 2 | Betio Village | 12,509 | GeoNames settlement | 9.16% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Bikenibeu Village | 6,170 | GeoNames settlement | 4.52% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Kiribati compares
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Kiribati | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #185 | CHI Channel Islands | 168,466 | +23% | compare → |
| #186 |  Curaçao | 156,263 | +14% | compare → |
| #188 |  Seychelles | 122,730 | −10% | compare → |
| #189 |  Grenada | 117,303 | −14% | compare → |
Compare Kiribati with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Kiribati
Nearest countries
Kiribati has no land border. Closest by distance:
Marshall Islands 36,282 · 3.8× smaller · compare
Nauru 12,025 · 11.4× smaller · compare
Tuvalu 9,492 · 14.4× smaller · compare
Micronesia 113,683 · 1.2× smaller · compare
In its region
Kiribati is the 29th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.0% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Tarawa, Betio Village, Bikenibeu Village — all Kiribati's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Kiribati when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.