The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kiribati fits inside the Solomon Islands 35 times
Kiribati: 811 km² (2024) · Solomon Islands: 28,446 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Solomon Islands’ coastline is 4.6 times as long as Kiribati’s
Kiribati: 1,143 km (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 5,313 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Solomon Islands’ highest peak towers 2,254 m above Kiribati’s
Kiribati: 81 m (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of Kiribati, versus 4.1% of the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 41.9% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 4.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Solomon Islands has 6.1 times as many people as Kiribati
Kiribati: 136,488 (2025) · Solomon Islands: 838,645 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Kiribati is 5.6 times as densely populated as the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 168 per km² (2025) · Solomon Islands: 30 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kiribati are 7.0 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 170.1 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kiribati are 4.3 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 161 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 156.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kiribati is 2.4 years older than in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 22.7 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Solomon Islands have 0.4 more children on average than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 3.12 children per woman (2024) · Solomon Islands: 3.51 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.4% of people in Kiribati are 65 or older, versus 3.7% in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 4.4% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 3.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Kiribati: no data · Solomon Islands: 0 per 1,000 (2024)
How many official languages?
Kiribati has 2 official languages, the Solomon Islands 1
Kiribati: 2 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Solomon Islands’ economy is 5 times the size of Kiribati’s
Kiribati: $349 million (2025) · Solomon Islands: $1.75 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Kiribati produces 41% more per person than the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: Int$3,937 (2025) · Solomon Islands: Int$2,788 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Kiribati: 24.7 (2023) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Kiribati: 0.9% (2023) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Kiribati: no data · Solomon Islands: 1.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Solomon Islands’ central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Kiribati’s 18%
Kiribati: 17.5% (2023) · Solomon Islands: 23.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Solomon Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Kiribati’s
Kiribati: 65% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 75% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kiribati spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: $238 (2023) · Solomon Islands: $111 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Solomon Islands live 4.1 years longer than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 66.6 years (2024) · Solomon Islands: 70.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kiribati is 2.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 38.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 16.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kiribati: no data · Solomon Islands: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kiribati: 1.9 per 1,000 (2016) · Solomon Islands: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kiribati is 27% higher than in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 18 per 100k (2023) · Solomon Islands: 14.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
45% of adults in Kiribati are obese, versus 21% in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 45.3% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 20.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
38% of adults in the Solomon Islands smoke, versus 38% in Kiribati
Kiribati: 37.7% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 38.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kiribati drink 7% more alcohol than in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 0.6 litres (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Kiribati has 2.9 times as much meat per person as the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 45.1 kg (2023) · Solomon Islands: 15.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Kiribati has 960 kcal more food per person per day than the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Solomon Islands: 2,166 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kiribati went to school 3.2 years longer than in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 9.1 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Solomon Islands welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Kiribati (2019)
Kiribati: 0.01 (2022) · Solomon Islands: 0.04 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Kiribati and the Solomon Islands are practically level
Kiribati: 1 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kiribati and the Solomon Islands are practically level
Kiribati: 0 (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Kiribati are online, versus 29% in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 89% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 29% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Kiribati: no data · Solomon Islands: 89 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
98% of people in Kiribati have electricity, versus 82% in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 97.7% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 81.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
63% of people in Kiribati live in cities, versus 31% in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 63% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Solomon Islands has 62 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kiribati 54
Kiribati: 54 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 62 (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Kiribati fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 0.43 (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.19 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 90% of the Solomon Islands, but only 1.3% of Kiribati
Kiribati: 1.3% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 89.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kiribati emits 50% more CO₂ than someone in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 0.5 t (2024) · Solomon Islands: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
25% of Kiribati’s electricity is renewable, versus 9.1% in the Solomon Islands
Kiribati: 25% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 9.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Solomon Islands carries 89% more fine dust than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 3.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Solomon Islands: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Solomon Islands are 26% deadlier than in Kiribati
Kiribati: 10.5 per 100k (2023) · Solomon Islands: 13.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Solomon Islands and Kiribati are practically level
Kiribati: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Solomon Islands: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Solomon Islands gets 6.2 times as much rain as Kiribati
Kiribati: 689 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Solomon Islands: 4,245 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Kiribati bigger than the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands is larger. Kiribati fits inside the Solomon Islands 35 times.
Which has more people, Kiribati or the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands has 6.1 times as many people as Kiribati (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kiribati or the Solomon Islands?
People in the Solomon Islands live 4.1 years longer than in Kiribati. Life expectancy at birth is 66.6 years in Kiribati and 70.7 in the Solomon Islands.
Are people taller in Kiribati or the Solomon Islands?
Men in Kiribati are 7.0 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).