The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Marshall Islands fits inside Kiribati 4.5 times
Kiribati: 811 km² (2024) · Marshall Islands: 181 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Kiribati’s coastline is 3.1 times as long as the Marshall Islands’
Kiribati: 1,143 km (2026 edition) · Marshall Islands: 370 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kiribati’s highest peak towers 67 m above the Marshall Islands’
Kiribati: 81 m (2026 edition) · Marshall Islands: 14 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of Kiribati, versus 40% of the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 41.9% (2024) · Marshall Islands: 40.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kiribati has 3.8 times as many people as the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 136,488 (2025) · Marshall Islands: 36,282 (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Marshall Islands is 19% more densely populated than Kiribati
Kiribati: 168 per km² (2025) · Marshall Islands: 200 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kiribati are 4.8 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 170.1 cm (2019) · Marshall Islands: 165.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kiribati are 6.3 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 161 cm (2019) · Marshall Islands: 154.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kiribati is 2 years older than in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 22.7 years (2023) · Marshall Islands: 20.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kiribati have 0.3 more children on average than in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 3.12 children per woman (2024) · Marshall Islands: 2.86 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.9% of people in the Marshall Islands are 65 or older, versus 4.4% in Kiribati
Kiribati: 4.4% (2025) · Marshall Islands: 4.9% (2025)
How many official languages?
Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are practically level
Kiribati: 2 (2026) · Marshall Islands: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Kiribati’s economy is 13% larger than the Marshall Islands’
Kiribati: $349 million (2025) · Marshall Islands: $308 million (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Marshall Islands produces 2.3 times as much per person as Kiribati
Kiribati: Int$3,937 (2025) · Marshall Islands: Int$8,964 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Marshall Islands than in Kiribati (Gini 10.8 points higher)
Kiribati: 24.7 (2023) · Marshall Islands: 35.5 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.1% of people in the Marshall Islands live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.9% in Kiribati
Kiribati: 0.9% (2023) · Marshall Islands: 2.1% (2019)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are practically level
Kiribati: 17.5% (2023) · Marshall Islands: 17.2% (2020)
How expensive is it?
The Marshall Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Kiribati’s
Kiribati: 65% (2025) · Marshall Islands: 95% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Marshall Islands spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as Kiribati
Kiribati: $238 (2023) · Marshall Islands: $894 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Marshall Islands live 0.48 years longer than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 66.6 years (2024) · Marshall Islands: 67.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kiribati is 71% more likely to die before turning one than in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 38.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Marshall Islands: 22.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kiribati: 1.9 per 1,000 (2016) · Marshall Islands: no data
How common is suicide?
Kiribati: 18 per 100k (2023) · Marshall Islands: no data
How common is obesity?
45% of adults in Kiribati are obese, versus 41% in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 45.3% (2024) · Marshall Islands: 41.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
38% of adults in Kiribati smoke, versus 30% in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 37.7% (2024) · Marshall Islands: 29.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Marshall Islands drink 12% more alcohol than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 0.6 litres (2023) · Marshall Islands: 0.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Marshall Islands has 2.8 times as much meat per person as Kiribati
Kiribati: 45.1 kg (2023) · Marshall Islands: 125.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Marshall Islands has 195 kcal more food per person per day than Kiribati
Kiribati: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Marshall Islands: 3,321 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Marshall Islands went to school 2.5 years longer than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 9.1 years (2023) · Marshall Islands: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Marshall Islands welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Kiribati (2019)
Kiribati: 0.01 (2022) · Marshall Islands: 0.14 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are practically level
Kiribati: 1 (2026) · Marshall Islands: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are practically level
Kiribati: 0 (2026 edition) · Marshall Islands: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Kiribati are online, versus 66% in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 89% (2024) · Marshall Islands: 66% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
98% of people in Kiribati have electricity, versus 97% in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 97.7% (2024) · Marshall Islands: 97.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in the Marshall Islands live in cities, versus 63% in Kiribati
Kiribati: 63% (2025) · Marshall Islands: 79% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kiribati has 54 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Marshall Islands 40
Kiribati: 54 (2024) · Marshall Islands: 40 (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Marshall Islands fly 88% more passengers per resident than those from Kiribati
Kiribati: 0.43 (2023) · Marshall Islands: 0.81 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the Marshall Islands, but only 1.3% of Kiribati
Kiribati: 1.3% (2024) · Marshall Islands: 53.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Marshall Islands emits 7.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kiribati
Kiribati: 0.5 t (2024) · Marshall Islands: 4.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Kiribati: 25% (2024) · Marshall Islands: no data
How clean is the air?
The air in Kiribati carries 32% more fine dust than in the Marshall Islands
Kiribati: 3.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Marshall Islands: 2.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Kiribati: 10.5 per 100k (2023) · Marshall Islands: no data
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kiribati: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Marshall Islands: no data
How much rain falls?
Kiribati: 689 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Marshall Islands: no data
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Kiribati bigger than the Marshall Islands?
Kiribati is larger. The Marshall Islands fits inside Kiribati 4.5 times.
Which has more people, Kiribati or the Marshall Islands?
Kiribati has 3.8 times as many people as the Marshall Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kiribati or the Marshall Islands?
People in the Marshall Islands live 0.48 years longer than in Kiribati. Life expectancy at birth is 66.6 years in Kiribati and 67.1 in the Marshall Islands.
Are people taller in Kiribati or the Marshall Islands?
Men in Kiribati are 4.8 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).