Photo: Photo taken by Government of Kiribati employee in the course of their work · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Kiribati: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Kiribati is placed 12th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 24.74 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 0.1 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
12th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Kiribati on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Kiribati’s is from 2023 · CC BY 4.0
24.74
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Kiribati: 24.74. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Micronesia
- 24.74 Kiribati
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Kiribati’s is from 2023 · CC BY 4.0
0.1
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Kiribati: 0.1. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Micronesia
- 0.1 Kiribati
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2025 figure for Kiribati, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
02Over time
Which way Kiribati is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Gini Index
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) · lower is better
KiribatiWorld median
Kiribati fell from 36.97 in 2006 to 24.74 in 2023; the world median went from 35.63 to 33.72.
Every year’s figures
Year Kiribati World median 2023 25 33.72 2022 — 33.91 2021 — 34.04 2020 — 34.18 2019 28 33.51 2018 — 35.25 2017 — 34.86 2016 — 34.47 2015 — 35.52 2014 — 34.79 2013 — 36.16 2012 — 35.40 2011 — 33.96 2010 — 33.71 2009 — 34.91 2008 — 34.60 2007 — 34.26 2006 37 35.63 2005 — 36.28 2004 — 34.29 2003 — 35.46 2002 — 37.14 Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) · lower is better
KiribatiWorld median
Kiribati fell from 6.55 in 2006 to 0.1 in 2023; the world median went from 0.465 to 0.345.
Every year’s figures
Year Kiribati World median 2023 0 0.345 2022 — 0.420 2021 — 0.335 2020 — 0.280 2019 1 0.380 2018 — 0.460 2017 — 0.300 2016 — 0.440 2015 — 0.500 2014 — 0.635 2013 — 0.515 2012 — 0.640 2011 — 0.430 2010 — 0.530 2009 — 0.600 2008 — 0.350 2007 — 0.360 2006 7 0.465 2005 — 1.250 2004 — 0.790 2003 — 1.650 2002 — 3.010
03In context
Kiribati beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Kiribati and Micronesia
Kiribati has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiribati | 12th | 24.74 | 0.1 | — |
 Marshall Islands | 72nd | 35.48 | 0.43 | — |
 Micronesia | 137th | 40.05 | 9.05 | — |
 Guam | not placed | — | — | — |
 Nauru | not placed | — | — | — |
 Northern Mariana Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
 Palau | not placed | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Micronesia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Kiribati in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Kiribati is ahead of the world, and behind
23 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median11
Statistics on which Kiribati does better than the middle country measured.
Income Share Held by Lowest 20%World Bank Group · 2023 · world median 7.1210.197.12▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 10.19 · world median 7.12 · Share of national income held by the poorest fifth (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 3.24 to 11.07; higher is better.
Position 2nd of 60 · derived.
Income Share Held by Richest 10%World Bank Group · 2023 · world median 26.1820.9126.18▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 20.91 · world median 26.18 · Share of national income or consumption held by the richest tenth (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 18.79 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 57th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Palma RatioWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.3320.8491.332▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 0.849 · world median 1.332 · Palma ratio (income share of the richest 10% ÷ share of the poorest 40%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.771 to 4.193; lower is better.
Position 57th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 0.1850.020.185▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 0.02 · world median 0.185 · Squared poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (0–100). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 9.74; lower is better.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.3130.446No earlier reading
Kiribati: 0.313 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 133rd of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID)Frederick Solt, University of Iowa · 2023 · world median 3330.433▼ Worsened since 2013
Kiribati: 30.4 · world median 33 · Gini index of disposable household income (0–100), SWIID estimate. Frederick Solt, University of Iowa, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 22.3 to 51.2; lower is better.
Position 56th of 79 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.10.612.1▲ Improved since 2014
Kiribati: 0.61 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.2521.6494.252No earlier reading
Kiribati: 1.649 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 104th of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.6920.529No earlier reading
Kiribati: 0.692 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Societal Poverty RateWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 17.215.8517.2▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 15.85 · world median 17.2 · Population below the societal poverty line, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 7 to 54.36; lower is better.
Position 36th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0516.6317.05▲ Improved since 2018
Kiribati: 16.63 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 89th of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Behind the world median10
Statistics on which Kiribati does worse than the middle country measured.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.080.039▼ Worsened since 2020
Kiribati: 0.08 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 48th of 109 · derived, 1st = worst.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.5350.609No real change since 2018
Kiribati: 0.535 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 104th of 169 · derived.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.345.691.34▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 5.69 · world median 1.34 · Population below $4.20 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 72.3; lower is better.
Position 22nd of 59 · derived, 1st = worst.
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric ConsumptionFAO · 2024 · world median 0.250.280.25▲ Improved since 2014
Kiribati: 0.28 · world median 0.25 · Coefficient of variation of habitual calorie consumption across the population (standard deviation ÷ mean). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.17 to 0.4; lower is better.
Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2024 · world median 20.943.920.9No real change since 2018
Kiribati: 43.9 · world median 20.9 · Population in moderate or severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1 to 88.8; lower is better.
Position 33rd of 135 · derived, 1st = worst.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.658.88518.65No earlier reading
Kiribati: 8.885 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Prosperity GapWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.7543.7521.754▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 3.752 · world median 1.754 · Average factor incomes must rise by to reach $28 a day. World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.406 to 12.06; lower is better.
Position 14th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.2634.4721.26No earlier reading
Kiribati: 34.47 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 19th of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Median Daily Income or Consumption per PersonWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 22.768.05122.76▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 8.051 · world median 22.76 · Median income or consumption per person, 2021 PPP dollars a day. World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.803 to 89.49; higher is better.
Position 51st of 60 · derived.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 7.8252.027.82▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 52.02 · world median 7.82 · Population below $8.30 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.07 to 93.58; lower is better.
Position 10th of 59 · derived, 1st = worst.
Level with the median, or no median to compare1
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 0.930.930.93▲ Improved since 2019
Kiribati: 0.93 · world median 0.93 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 54.36; lower is better.
Position 30th of 58 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end1
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.85.521.8No earlier reading
Kiribati: 5.5 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
No current reading for Kiribati
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health Spending, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Exclusion by Socio-Economic Group, Gini Index of Monthly Earnings (last 2023), Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Low Pay Rate (last 2023), Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet and Working Poverty Rate. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Kiribati’s 12 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Kiribati’s best-placed topic of 12. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Poverty & Inequality12th of 1592/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties29th of 1983/4 keys
- Gender & Equality47th of 1832/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience101st of 1933/4 keys
- Energy92nd of 1652/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge116th of 1983/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture126th of 1842/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing141st of 2004/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital139th of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions157th of 1942/4 keys
- Digital & Technology173rd of 1983/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation162nd of 1762/4 keys
No standing on Work & Labour, Environment & Sustainability, Peace & Security, Mobility & Trade: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Kiribati can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Oceania
Kiribati12th2/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Kiribati on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Kiribati rank on poverty & inequality?
Kiribati is placed 12th of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index and Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Kiribati?
24.74 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Kiribati?
0.1 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How have Kiribati’s poverty & inequality figures changed?
Gini Index fell from 36.97 in 2006 to 24.74 in 2023; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day fell from 6.55 in 2006 to 0.1 in 2023.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Kiribati?
No current reading is published for Kiribati on Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health Spending, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Exclusion by Socio-Economic Group, Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Low Pay Rate, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet and Working Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 23 statistics on this page come from 7 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Kiribati’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Kiribati (banner) — Photo taken by Government of Kiribati employee in the course of their work, CC BY 3.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Kiribati: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/kiribati/poverty