Kiribati: International tourism, number of arrivals

Key figures

Over five years it is up 44.58% from 8,300 in 2014 (7.65% a year on average, compounded). Since 1999 it is down 40.89% from 20,300 in 1999 (2.59% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 6 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2019, Kiribati's international tourism, number of arrivals rose 33.3% on 2018 (from 9,000 to 12,000).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2018), the average change was +63.8% and a typical year strayed about 218.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 724.1% in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 78.5% in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2019, Kiribati had the 44th highest value of the 46 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Kiribati in the 2019 ranking

• Timor-Leste — 41st of 46: 74,800
• Guinea-Bissau — 42nd of 46: 52,400
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 43rd of 46: 18,000
• Marshall Islands — 45th of 46: 6,100
• Tuvalu — 46th of 46: 3,600

What this measures

International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.

Limitations: Tourism can be either domestic or international. The data refers to international tourism, where the traveler's country of residence differs from the visiting country. International tourism consists of inbound (arrival) and outbound (departures) tourism. The data are from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a United Nations agency. The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival. The data on inbound tourism show the arrivals of nonresident tourists (overnight visitors) at national borders.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 15 values

International tourism, number of arrivals in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 900 (2020)
• Australia — 1.83 million (2020)
• Brunei Darussalam — 1.07 million (2020)
• Cambodia — 1.31 million (2020)
• China — 30.4 million (2020)
• Fiji — 168,000 (2020)
• French Polynesia — 89,400 (2020)
• Guam — 328,000 (2020)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 3.57 million (2020)
• Indonesia — 4.05 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Kiribati

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$496 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$20 million (2025)
• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 147.76% (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 2.3% (2021)
• Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 41.44% (2021)
• Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 12.54% (2021)
• Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 43.01% (2021)
• Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 0.4% (2021)
• Food exports (% of merchandise exports) — 97.22% (2021)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Kiribati's international tourism, number of arrivals?

12,000 in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 40.89% from 20,300 in 1999 (2.59% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 130,100 in 2003 and the lowest 7,500 in 2017.

How does Kiribati rank?

44th highest of 46 economies with data for 2019.

Is the latest change in international tourism, number of arrivals unusual for Kiribati?

In 2019, Kiribati's international tourism, number of arrivals rose 33.3% on 2018 (from 9,000 to 12,000). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2018), the average change was +63.8% and a typical year strayed about 218.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.ARVL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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