Kiribati (Republic of Kiribati)

Kiribati Republic of Kiribati
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	171st best
Capital	Tarawa
Land Area	810km21
Location	Australasia, Micronesia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	0.1m2
Life Expectancy	67.42yrs (2017)3
GNI	$4 063 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	KI, KIR, 2965
Internet Domain	.ki6
Currency	Dollar (AUD)7
Telephone	+6868

1. Overview
2. Kiribati National and Social Development
3. Kiribati's Demographics and Migration
4. Kiribati's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Kiribati's Health
6. Kiribati's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Kiribati's Modernity and Learning
8. Kiribati's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#japan #UK

“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.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“A tiny speck of islands in the Pacific, Kiribati still maintains traditional ways. Nothing happens too fast here, so wind down, relax and enjoy living on island time. Curving its way above and below the equator, the Republic of Kiribati encompasses the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands. Measured by land size Kiribati is a tiny nation of just over 811 sq km, but its 33 atolls span a huge 3.5 million sq km of the Pacific. Most atolls surround turquoise lagoons and barely rise above the surrounding ocean, so it´s rare to be out of the sight and sound of the sea.

Kiribati´s recent colonial and WWII history (the islands were occupied by the Japanese in 1942) has had little impact on the outer islands, where the people subsist on coconuts, breadfruit and fish as they have done for centuries. Even on the main island, Tarawa, most locals live in traditional raised thatched huts. Western influence is increasing, though, in the form of cars, bars, movies and the Internet, and inevitably there´s an escalating urban drift from the outer islands to Tarawa.The I-Kiribati, people of the islands, are friendly but laconic - expect a bold `mauri´ (hello) as you pass.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Kiribati National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
133	Ghana	0.632
134	Micronesia	0.628
135	Guatemala	0.627
136	Kiribati	0.624
137	Honduras	0.621
138	Sao Tome & Principe	0.618
139	Namibia	0.615
140=	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.607
	Australasia Avg	0.70
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
148	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	$4 461
149	Syria	$4 192
150	Cambodia	$4 079
151	Kiribati	$4 063
152	Sao Tome & Principe	$4 021
153	Papua New Guinea	$4 009
154	Nepal	$3 877
155	Myanmar (Burma)	$3 851
	Australasia Avg	$12 519
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	29.7
2	Norway	33.6
3	Switzerland	35.2
	...
168	Congo, (Brazzaville)	113.8
169	Swaziland	114.0
170	Guinea-Bissau	114.1
171	Kiribati	114.2
172	Myanmar (Burma)	114.5
173	Libya	114.9
174	Guinea	115.6
175	Mozambique	117.0
	Australasia Avg	95.6
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Kiribati's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Kiribati's population is predicted to rise to 132 178 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 3.27. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
176	Sao Tome & Principe	0.2m
177	Samoa	0.2m
178	St Lucia	0.2m
179	Kiribati	0.1m
180	Micronesia	0.1m
181	Grenada	0.1m
182	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.1m
183	Tonga	0.1m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	67.7
134	Sao Tome & Principe	67.6
135	Indonesia	67.6
136	Kiribati	67.4
137	India	67.2
138	Fiji	67.1
139	Senegal	67.1
140	Eritrea	66.5
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
155	Tonga	3.19
156	S. Korea	0.78
157	Namibia	3.25
158	Kiribati	3.27
159	Kenya	3.30
160	Hong Kong	0.70
161	Uzbekistan	3.31
162	Pakistan	3.41
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
61	Djibouti	09.1
62=	Tajikistan	09.1
63	Equatorial Guinea	09.4
64=	Kiribati	09.5
64=	Guatemala	09.5
64=	Saudi Arabia	09.5
67	Haiti	09.6
68	Vanuatu	09.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
110	Chile	2.7%
111	Micronesia	2.6%
112	Azerbaijan	2.6%
113	Kiribati	2.6%
114	Samoa	2.5%
115	Zimbabwe	2.4%
116	Swaziland	2.4%
117	Ecuador	2.4%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
88	Bolivia	6.8%
89	Guinea-Bissau	6.8%
90	Slovenia	6.5%
91	Kiribati	6.5%
92	Bhutan	6.3%
93	Tunisia	6.3%
94	Finland	6.2%
95	Singapore	6.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Kiribati's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance #women

Compared to Australasia (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	New Zealand	13.3
2	Australia	16.0
3	Kiribati	70.1
4	Marshall Islands	75.0
5	Tuvalu	76.7
6	Micronesia	78.2
7	Palau	80.7
8	Nauru	82.3
9	Fiji	87.1
10	Vanuatu	98.7
11	Samoa	100.4
12	Tonga	105.5
13	Solomon Islands	108.9
	Australasia Avg	79.23
q=14.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
64	Cape Verde	68.0
65	Peru	68.7
66	St Lucia	69.9
67	Kiribati	70.1
68	Monaco	71.7
69	Colombia	71.9
70	Mongolia	72.6
71	Macedonia	72.8
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₁₉.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets:

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
22=	Italy	1.0
22=	Japan	1.0
22=	Luxembourg	1.0
22=	Kiribati	1.0
22=	Estonia	1.0
22=	Austria	1.0
22=	Taiwan	1.0
22=	Spain	1.0
	Australasia Avg	1.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better20
Pos.		2009 Treaties20
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
187	Singapore	5
188=	Nauru	5
189	Marshall Islands	4
190=	Myanmar (Burma)	4
190=	Palau	4
190=	Malaysia	4
193	Bhutan	3
194=	Kiribati	3
	Australasia Avg	8.7
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better21
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty21
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
185	Tonga	15.55
186	Micronesia	15.55
187	Somalia	15.71
188	Kiribati	15.80
189	Solomon Islands	15.81
190	Nauru	16.16
191	Sao Tome & Principe	16.17
192	Tuvalu	16.33
	Australasia Avg	14.35
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality Datasets:

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
149=	Lesotho	1965
149=	Botswana	1965
151	Tuvalu	1967
152=	Kiribati	1967
152=	Ecuador	1967
154	Swaziland	1968
155=	Nauru	1968
156	Congo, (Brazzaville)	1970
	Australasia Avg	1962
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice Datasets:

LGBT Equality Higher is better22
Pos.		2017 Score22
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
125=	Grenada	-5
125=	Dominica	-5
125=	Namibia	-5
125=	Kiribati	-5
125=	Jamaica	-5
125=	Cook Islands	-5
125=	Guyana	-5
132	St Lucia	-9
	Australasia Avg	07.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better23
Pos.		202123
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
37	Botswana	2.3
38=	Benin	2.3
38=	Cape Verde	2.3
38=	Kiribati	2.3
38=	Antigua & Barbuda	2.3
38=	Uruguay	2.3
43	Seychelles	2.3
44=	San Marino	2.5
	Australasia Avg	2.6
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Kiribati's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #kiribati #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Australasia (2025)24
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank24
1	New Caledonia	57.9
2	Australia	62.9
3	New Zealand	67.5
	...
11	Tuvalu	129.6
12	Papua New Guinea	130.7
13	Micronesia	134.5
14	Kiribati	138.7
15	Samoa	138.9
16	Nauru	147.4
17	Niue	153.4
18	Cook Islands	153.8
19	Marshall Islands	157.0
	Australasia Avg	112.00
q=19.

Health (2025)24
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank24
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
199	Ivory Coast	134.9
200	Iraq	135.8
201	Central African Rep.	138.3
202	Kiribati	138.7
203	Samoa	138.9
204	Mozambique	139.6
205	Afghanistan	139.9
206	Equatorial Guinea	144.8
	World Avg	96.49
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₂₅. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, The Cook Islands and S. Sudan₂₅.

27 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₂₅, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Melanesia and Australasia₂₅.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Kiribati is a pretty unhealthy country. Kiribati comes in the best 20 in terms of its alcohol consumption rate₂₆ (one of the best in Australasia). When it comes to most other metrics, Kiribati does not do well. It does worse than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₂₇, its immunizations take-up₂₈, its average life expectancy₁₁ and in its fertility rate₁₄. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in its smoking rate₂₉ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₀. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Life expectancy in Kiribati improved by +6.2yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Kiribati's peak fertility rate was 6.63 in 1961.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	67.7
134	Sao Tome & Principe	67.6
135	Indonesia	67.6
136	Kiribati	67.4
137	India	67.2
138	Fiji	67.1
139	Senegal	67.1
140	Eritrea	66.5
	Australasia Avg	70.11
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better26
Pos.		2016 Per Capita26
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
8=	Saudi Arabia	0.2
9	Syria	0.3
10=	Pakistan	0.3
11	Kiribati	0.4
12=	Iraq	0.4
12=	Brunei	0.4
12=	Egypt	0.4
15	Djibouti	0.5
	Australasia Avg	4.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
155	Tonga	3.19
156	S. Korea	0.78
157	Namibia	3.25
158	Kiribati	3.27
159	Kenya	3.30
160	Hong Kong	0.70
161	Uzbekistan	3.31
162	Pakistan	3.41
	Australasia Avg	2.82
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better29
Pos.		Total %29
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
158	Indonesia	38.2%
159	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	38.8%
160	Bulgaria	39.5%
161	Serbia	39.6%
162	Papua New Guinea	39.7%
163	Kiribati	39.7%
164	Myanmar (Burma)	44.4%
165	Nauru	48.3%
	Australasia Avg	29.2%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

In the 2000s, Kiribati had the worst average smoking rate (62%) in the world, needlessly adding a huge burden to its health services and damaging its economy. Over the following decade, a full 12% of the population stopped smoking, and the country improved to 3^rd-worse, a position it has maintained so far in the 2020s as another 11% stopped.

Overweight Adults Lower is better30
Pos.		1976 %30
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
178	Czechia	47.1
179	Qatar	49.0
180	Malta	49.6
181	Kiribati	50.0
182=	Micronesia	51.4
182=	Tuvalu	51.4
184	Niue	51.7
185	Kuwait	52.2
	Australasia Avg	48.8
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better31
Pos.		2022 %31
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
184	Qatar	43.8%
185	Kuwait	45.4%
186	Micronesia	45.6%
187	Kiribati	46.2%
188	St Kitts & Nevis	46.6%
189	Marshall Islands	47.3%
190	Bahamas	47.6%
191	French Polynesia	48.4%
	Australasia Avg	49.3%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better27
Pos.		2022 Per 100027
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
105	Dominica	37.9
106	Syria	38.1
107	Bulgaria	38.2
108	Kiribati	39.6
109	Azerbaijan	40.1
110	Pakistan	41.2
111	Barbados	41.9
112	Palau	42.1
	Australasia Avg	40.2
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better28
Pos.		2015 Avg %28
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
127	Kenya	88.5
128	Costa Rica	88.5
129	Colombia	88.4
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
134	Sierra Leone	87.7
	Australasia Avg	86.4
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Kiribati's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Australasia (2025)32
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank32
1	New Zealand	75.8
2	Australia	76.6
3	Fiji	89.1
4	Vanuatu	93.0
5	Tonga	96.1
6	Papua New Guinea	104.5
7	Samoa	107.0
8	Kiribati	111.4
9	Micronesia	114.6
10	Cook Islands	119.6
11	Solomon Islands	121.6
12	Marshall Islands	123.1
13	Palau	124.5
	Australasia Avg	93.28
q=16.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)32
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank32
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
172	Angola	109.5
173	Kazakhstan	109.8
174	Barbados	110.1
175	Kiribati	111.4
176	Micronesia	114.6
177	Bhutan	115.3
178	Belarus	116.0
179	Uzbekistan	116.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₃₃. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Kiribati is 175th in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 21 data sets. Kiribati does better than average in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₄ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₃₅. And finally, it does worse than average in its environmental performance₃₆ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better34
Pos.		Total34
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
132=	Liechtenstein	0.0%
132=	Libya	0.0%
132=	Montserrat	0.0%
132=	Kiribati	0.0%
132=	Saudi Arabia	0.0%
137	Nepal	-0.1%
138	Finland	-0.2%
139	Canada	-0.3%
	Australasia Avg	0.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better36
Pos.		201836
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
92	Bolivia	56.0
93	Barbados	55.8
94	Georgia	55.7
95	Kiribati	55.3
96	Bahrain	55.2
97	Nicaragua	55.0
98	Bahamas	55.0
99	Kyrgyzstan	54.9
	Australasia Avg	55.2
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
172	Eritrea	43%
173	Somalia	43%
174	Tonga	43%
175	Kiribati	42%
176	Cook Islands	42%
177	Niue	42%
178	Solomon Islands	42%
179	Marshall Islands	42%
	Australasia Avg	48.2%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Meat Consumption Lower is better35
Pos.		2021 kg35
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
89	Libya	50.0
90	Ecuador	50.9
91	Albania	52.0
92	Kiribati	52.4
93	Vietnam	52.6
94	Dominican Rep.	53.5
95	Peru	54.0
96	Mauritius	54.2
	Australasia Avg	74.2
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

7. Kiribati's Modernity and Learning

#education #kiribati #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to Australasia (2020)37
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank37
1	New Zealand	15.2
2	Australia	16.6
3	Palau	47.4
4=	Tonga	62.0
5	Fiji	71.5
6	Samoa	99.8
7	Marshall Islands	111.1
8	Vanuatu	125.6
9	Kiribati	127.3
10	Micronesia	133.6
11	Tuvalu	138.2
12	Solomon Islands	154.5
13	Papua New Guinea	158.4
	Australasia Avg	97.01
q=13.

Modernity & Learning (2020)37
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank37
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
149	Togo	125.8
150	Sao Tome & Principe	126.0
151	Syria	126.9
152	Kiribati	127.3
153	Ethiopia	128.3
154	Honduras	132.2
155	Ivory Coast	132.4
156	Senegal	132.6
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₃₈. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₃₈. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₃₉.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₄₀

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₃₈, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₃₈.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

In the 1990s, the expected duration of education in Kiribati fell by half a year, whereas most of the rest of the world's increased. ₄₁

Length of Schooling Higher is better42
Pos.		2021 Years42
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
139	Namibia	11.9
140	Comoros	11.9
141	India	11.9
142	Kiribati	11.8
143	Nauru	11.7
144	Tajikistan	11.7
145	Micronesia	11.5
146	Vanuatu	11.5
	Australasia Avg	13.4
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better43
Pos.		201643
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
166	Turkmenistan	15%
167	Bangladesh	13%
168	Iraq	13%
169	Kiribati	13%
170	Rwanda	12%
171	Mali	12%
172	Haiti	12%
173=	Papua New Guinea	12%
	Australasia Avg	44.3%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better44
Pos.		2017 Ratio44
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
138=	Solomon Islands	0.0
138=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.0
138=	Sao Tome & Principe	0.0
138=	Kiribati	0.0
138=	Ivory Coast	0.0
138=	Mauritania	0.0
138=	Iraq	0.0
138=	Oman	0.0
	Australasia Avg	1.55
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Kiribati's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #social_development

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better45
Pos.		201945
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
145	Papua New Guinea	24.10
146=	Zimbabwe	24.20
146=	Ghana	24.20
148	Kiribati	24.70
149=	Yemen	24.70
150	Ethiopia	24.90
151=	Swaziland	25.10
151=	Malawi	25.10
	Australasia Avg	13.47
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better46
Pos.		2023 %46
1	Slovakia	24.1%47
2	Slovenia	24.3%47
3	Belarus	24.4%48
	...
15	Algeria	27.6%49
16=	Finland	27.7%47
16=	Norway	27.7%50
18	Kiribati	27.8%50
19	Armenia	27.9%51
20	Denmark	28.3%47
21=	Poland	28.5%47
21=	Bhutan	28.5%51
	Australasia Avg	34.8%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Kiribati - only for 2 years between 1980 and 2019.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₅₂:

Christian	97%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.8%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 55%, Protestant 36%, Mormon 3.1%, Baha'i 2.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.9%, other 1.8% (2005 census)₅₃.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems