10 answers, 3 from Kiribati's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
The adult literacy rate in Kiribati was 90.6% in 2020, for citizens aged 15 and over, according to the 2020 Population and Housing Census report published on the Kiribati National Statistics Office's 2020 census page. The rate was 93.4% in urban areas and 86.6% in rural areas, and highest in South Tarawa at 93.4%.
The census rate is an indirect estimate: anyone who had completed class 3 or above is counted as literate, rather than being tested. The same report has a separate table on self-reported reading and writing skills. Among the divisions, the census shows the lowest rates in the Central (84.6%) and Northern (85.2%) islands.
Government spending on education in Kiribati was 16.4% of GDP in 2023, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, which publishes the figure in its data browser and on its Kiribati country page. Education took 20.1% of total government spending in 2024.
Spending as a share of GDP depends on the size of the economy as well as on spending. The share of government spending shows the priority education gets in the budget. Budget documents are published by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
94.1% of young people in Kiribati completed primary school, 78.4% completed lower secondary and 16.7% completed upper secondary school in 2018, according to completion rates from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in its data browser and on its Kiribati country page. The institute estimates that 8.7% of children of primary school age and 12.7% of young people of upper secondary age were out of school in 2024.
The completion rate is the share of people a few years older than the official finishing age who have completed that level, so it describes the recent past. The National Statistics Office's education page holds older enrolment tables, up to 2010.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts net primary school enrolment in Kiribati at 94.7% in 2017. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 94.6%, and Kiribati placed 8th highest of 16. World rank, highest first: 66th of 134.
90.3%: that is gross secondary school enrolment in Kiribati for 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Since 2005 it has ranged from 82.9% (2008) to 94.7% (2023). East Asia & Pacific median: 92.0%; Kiribati is 11th highest of 16. Of 100 countries with 2024 data, 65th highest.
In 2024, gross tertiary enrolment in Kiribati was 5.0%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. East Asia & Pacific median: 47.4%; Kiribati is 15th highest of 15. Worldwide: 88th of 90.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the adult literacy rate in Kiribati was 98.6% in 2020. It is 3rd highest of 10 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 96.9%. Worldwide: 7th of 41.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2023, is 16.4% of GDP. No year since 2012 has been higher. It is 1st highest of 20 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 3.8% of GDP. Worldwide: 1st of 112.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the number of primary pupils per teacher in Kiribati at 25 in 2017. Since 2005 it has ranged from 25 (2005) to 27 (2006). It is 6th highest of 18 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 18. Of 130 countries with 2017 data, 39th highest.
In 2024, the primary completion rate in Kiribati was 92.8%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 98.9%, and Kiribati placed 14th highest of 20. Worldwide: 67th of 104.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error