At a climate-change conference in Wellington,N.Z., in February 2016, the outgoing president ofKiribati, Anote Tong, warned that the Pacific

region should prepare for the first climate-changerefugees from his country within five years. Tong said thatsea-level rise and more-severe weather patterns wouldsoon drive people from thelow-lying islands. On March9 Taneti Maamau was elect-ed president to replace Tong,who had reached his con-stitutional limit of threeterms. The main road net-work on South Tarawa, thebeneficiary of $57.5 millionin improvement funds fromthe World Bank, the Austral-ian government, and othersources, officially opened inFebruary.

DemographyPopulation (2016): 111,000.Density (2016)3: persons per sq mi396.4, persons per sq km 152.9.

Sex distribution (2015): male 49.40%;female 50.60%.

Population projection: (2020)119,000; (2030) 138,000.

Major villages (2015): Betio17,356; Bikenibeu 7,558;Teaoraereke 5,085; Tem-waiku 3,992; Bairiki 3,172.

Urban-rural (2014):

Vital statisticsBirth rate per 1,000 pop-ulation (2015): 21.5(world avg. 19.5).

Death rate per 1,000population (2015): 7.1(world avg. 8.1).

Natural increase rate per1,000 population(2015): 14.4 (world avg.11.4).

Life expectancy at birth(2015): male 63.4 years;female 68.4 years.

Age breakdown (2015):

Ethnic composition (2010): Religious affiliation (2010):

Kiribati

Official name: Republic of Kiribati.1Form of government: unitary republicwith one legislative house (House ofAssembly [462]).

Head of state and government: PresidentTaneti Maamau.

Seats of government: islet villages ofBairiki (executive), Ambo (legislative),Betio (judicial) on South Tarawa.

Official language: English.Official religion: none.Monetary unit: Australian dollar ($A);valuation (Sept. 1, 2016) 1 U.S.$ = $A 1.33; 1 £ = $A 1.76.

Area and populationarea4 population area4 population

Island/Atoll Groups 2015 Island/Atoll Groups 2015Islands/Atolls5 sq km census6 Islands/Atolls5 sq km census6

Gilbert Group (Kiribati) 285.57 99,608

Abaiang 17.5 5,568Abemama 27.4 3,299Aranuka 11.6 1,124Arorae 9.5 1,011Banaba8 6.3 280Beru 17.7 2,051Butaritari 13.5 3,224Kuria 15.5 1,043Maiana 16.7 1,981Makin 7.9 1,990Marakei 14.1 2,799Nikunau 19.1 1,791Nonouti 19.9 2,744Onotoa 15.6 1,394Tabiteuea, North 25.8 3,956Tabiteuea, South 11.9 1,304

Tamana 4.7 1,106Tarawa, North 15.3 6,619Tarawa, South 15.8 56,324

Line and Phoenix Group 525.07 10,502

Northern Line 431.7 10,482Kiritimati (Christmas) 388.4 6,447

Tabuaeran (Fanning) 33.7 2,317

Teraina (Washington) 9.6 1,718

Southern Line9 and Phoenix Group10 93.4 20

Kanton (Canton) inPhoenix Group 9.2 20

TOTAL 810.5 110,110

© 2017 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

World DataE N C Y C L O P Æ D I A

Britannica

National economyBudget (2012). Revenue: $A 188,939,000 (current revenue 68.2%, ofwhich taxes 14.5%; grants 31.8%). Expenditures: $A 100,457,000 (current expenditure 92%; capitalexpenditure 8%).

Public debt (external, outstanding; December 2009):U.S.$9,900,000.

Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture,forestry, fishing (2014): coconuts 172,020, oil crops22,363, bananas 6,97811, vegetables 6,30811, taro 2,050;livestock (number of live animals) 14,000 pigs,610,000 chickens; roundwood 3,140 cu m, of whichfuelwood 100%; fisheries production 116,710 (fromaquaculture, negligible); aquatic plants production3,580 (from aquaculture 100%). Mining and quarry-ing: small amounts of salt. Manufacturing: copra (6,240 metric tonsproduced in 2009), processed fish, clothing, and handicrafts. Energyproduction (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 2012) 24,000,000(23,000,000), by source: fossil fuels 100%; petroleum products (metrictons; 2012) none ([2011] 20,000).

Population economically active (2010): total (2015) 50,000; participationrates: age 15 and over, male 66.8%; female 52.3%; unemployed30.6%, of which youth (ages 15–24) 54.0%.

Gross national income (GNI; 2015): U.S.$363,000,000 (U.S.$3,230 percapita); purchasing power parity GNI (U.S.$4,150 per capita).

Average household size: 6.3.Land use as % of total land area (2007): in temporary crops or left fal-

low c. 2%; in permanent crops c. 43%; in pasture, none; forest areac. 3%.

Foreign tradeImports (2012): U.S.$108,558,000 (mineral fuels and

lubricants 16.5%, transport equipment 13.1%, veg-etables and vegetable products 12.9%, iron andsteel 8.2%, tobacco 5.0%). Major import sources (2013):

Exports (2012): U.S.$5,816,000 (edible fats and oils64.9%, marine foods 16.3%, prepared foods andtobacco 6.1%, optical and medical equipment4.1%, machinery and apparatus 3.3%). Major export destinations (2013):

Transport and communicationsTransport. Roads (2011): total length 416 mi,

670 km (paved, n.a.). Vehicles (2008):passenger cars 9,600; trucks and buses4,480.

Education and healthLiteracy (2010): percentage of population age 10 and over liter-ate 97.7%; males literate 97.7%; females literate 97.8%.

Health: physicians (2010) 39 (1 per 2,622 persons); hospitalbeds (2011) 136 (1 per 768 persons); infant mortality rate per1,000 live births (2015) 34.3; undernourished population(2006–08) 5,000 (5% of total population based on the con-sumption of a minimum daily requirement of 1,770 calories).

MilitaryTotal active duty personnel(November 2015): none; defenseassistance is provided byAustralia and New Zealand.

1Ribaberikin Kiribati in Gilbertese (also known as I-Kiribati). 2Includes two nonelective members. 3Based oninhabited island areas (280 sq mi [726 sq km]) only. 4Includes uninhabited islands in Southern Line and PhoenixGroup. 5Administratively Kiribati has six district councils; in addition, each of the 21 inhabited islands have theirown island councils. 6Preliminary. 7Detail does not add to total given because of rounding. 8Banaba is actually anisolated island to the west of the Gilbert Group. 9Includes Caroline (Millennium), Malden, Starbuck, Vostok, andFlint islands. Total area is c. 64 sq km. 10Includes Birnie, Enderbury, McKean, Manra, Nikumaroro, Orona, Rawaki(Phoenix), and Kanton (Canton) islands. Total area is c. 29 sq km. 112013. 12Services includes real estate. 13Indirecttaxes less imputed bank service charges and less subsidies. 14Unemployed. 15Subscribers.

Internet resources for further information:• Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publica-

tion/43030/kir.pdf• Kiribati National Statistics Office www.mfed.gov.ki/statistics

Structure of gross domestic product and labour force2012 2010

in value % of total labour % of labour$A ’000 value force force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 45,680 26.2 5,983 15.3Mining and quarrying 105 — … …Manufacturing 8,858 5.1 3,563 9.1Construction 5,234 3.0 535 1.4Public utilities 1,755 1.0 271 0.7Transp. and commun. 28,640 16.4 1,729 4.4Trade, hotels 4,980 12.7Finance, real estate 9,96912 5.712 805 2.1Pub. admin., defense 48,394 27.7 2,021 5.2Services 25,09212 14.412 7,209 18.5Other 85913 0.513 11,93814 30.614

TOTAL 174,5847 100.0 39,034 100.0

Communications units unitsnumber per 1,000 number per 1,000

Medium date in ’000s persons Medium date in ’000s persons

TelephonesCellular 2015 4115 38815

Landline 2015 1.5 14

Internet users 2009 2.0 20Broadband 2015 0.115 1.115

}

During 2016 there has been serious discussion ofabandoning Kiribati as climate-change conditions

have become severe. Storms and tides that erode land onone side of the island and deposit it on another are causingshifts in land that inhabitants cannot manage.

DID YOU KNOW?

© 2017 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

World DataE N C Y C L O P Æ D I A

Britannica