The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Marshall Islands fits inside Kiribati 4.5 times.
Kiribati: 810 km² (2023) · Marshall Islands: 180 km² (2023)
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)
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 20% more densely populated than Kiribati.
Kiribati: 169 per km² (2025) · Marshall Islands: 202 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 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 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)
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 52% of the Marshall Islands, but only 1.5% of Kiribati.
Kiribati: 1.5% (2023) · Marshall Islands: 52.2% (2023)
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?
Roads in the Marshall Islands are 92% deadlier than in Kiribati.
Kiribati: 6.2 per 100k (2021) · Marshall Islands: 11.9 per 100k (2021)
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
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).