Kiribati: cost of living

What is the inflation rate in Kiribati?

Consumer prices in Kiribati were 0.7% higher in March 2026 than a year earlier, according to the consumer price index report for March 2026 from the Kiribati National Statistics Office, published on 29 July 2026. The all-items index rose from 110.32 to 111.04. Food and non-alcoholic drinks were 0.8% cheaper than a year earlier.

The rate is the change in the all-items index against the same month a year earlier, with June 2023 as the base. Prices are collected each month in shops and from service providers in South Tarawa, and the basket weights come from the 2019 household income and expenditure survey. Year-on-year inflation was above 5% for most of 2025, before falling to 1.0% in January 2026.

Official sources: KNSO: Kiribati consumer price index for 2026 Q1 · KNSO: Consumer price index report, March 2026 (PDF)

What is the poverty rate in Kiribati?

5.5% of people in Kiribati lived below the national poverty line in 2023–24, down from 21.9% in 2019–20, according to the report Poverty and Inequality in Kiribati 2023–2024 from the Kiribati National Statistics Office. A further 23.6% had a level of welfare not far above the line.

The headline rate uses a cost of basic needs poverty line. The report links the fall to growth in government transfers, including the support fund for the unemployed, a doubled copra subsidy and wider support for older and disabled people. The report also measures poverty in a second way, using the necessities people agree on: by that measure 22% are poor. The Gini coefficient of inequality fell from 27.8 to 24.7.

Official sources: KNSO: Poverty and Inequality in Kiribati 2023–2024 (PDF)

What is the average household income in Kiribati?

Households in Kiribati had an average annual income of A$26,330 in 2023–24, or A$4,410 per person, according to the Kiribati 2023–2024 Household Income and Expenditure Survey report from the Kiribati National Statistics Office. Households in South Tarawa averaged A$29,250 and those in the Central division A$21,210.

The total includes more than cash. Income from work was A$17,730 on average, and the figure also counts gifts received, food grown or caught at home, barter and the imputed rent of owner-occupied homes. Cash made up more than 80% of income in urban areas and 70% in rural areas. Two in three households reported receiving remittances.

Official sources: KNSO: Kiribati 2023–2024 HIES report (PDF)

What is the inflation rate in Kiribati?

6.5%: that is consumer price inflation in Kiribati for 2025, according to the IMF. Since 2007 it has ranged from -3.9% (2010) to 13.7% (2008). Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 2.2%, and Kiribati placed 3rd highest of 24. World rank, highest first: 30th of 165.

How much do households in Kiribati spend per person?

According to the World Bank, household consumption per person in Kiribati was $2,665 in 2024. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2006. It is 17th highest of 22 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is $4,470. World rank, highest first: 97th of 153.

How many people in Kiribati live on under $3 a day?

The World Bank puts the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in Kiribati at 0.9% in 2023. That compares with 21.3% in 2006. Worldwide: 29th of 59.

How many people in Kiribati are poor?

According to the World Bank, the share of people below the national poverty line in Kiribati was 5.5% in 2023. Worldwide: 36th of 39.

What is income inequality in Kiribati?

The World Bank puts the Gini index in Kiribati at 24.7 in 2023. It was 37.0 in 2006. World rank, highest first: 56th of 59.

What is food insecurity in Kiribati?

In 2024, moderate or severe food insecurity in Kiribati was 43.9%, according to the FAO. That is the highest since at least 2018. East Asia & Pacific median: 15.4%; Kiribati is 1st highest of 17. Worldwide: 33rd of 135.