Kiribati: Surface area (sq. km)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Kiribati's surface area (sq. km) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 811 to 811).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0% and a typical year strayed about 0% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 0.1% in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.1 a year. A straight line explains 48% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Kiribati had the 178th highest value of the 213 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 2024 ranking

• Hong Kong SAR, China — 175th of 213: 1,110
• São Tomé and Principe — 176th of 213: 960
• Turks and Caicos Islands — 177th of 213: 948.23
• Bahrain — 179th of 213: 800
• Dominica — 180th of 213: 751
• Tonga — 181st of 213: 749

What this measures

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.

Limitations: The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations through annual questionnaires. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible. The data collected from official national sources through the questionnaire are supplemented with information from official secondary data sources. The secondary sources cover official country data from websites of national ministries, national publications and related country data reported by various international organizations.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 64 values

Surface area (sq. km) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 199 (2024)
• Australia — 7.74 million (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 5,770 (2024)
• Cambodia — 181,035 (2024)
• China — 9.56 million (2024)
• Fiji — 18,333 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 3,521 (2024)
• Guam — 541 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 1,110 (2024)
• Indonesia — 1.92 million (2024)
• Japan — 377,975 (2024)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep.

More environment data for Kiribati

• Rural population — 49,975 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 36.61% (2025)
• Urban population — 86,513 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 63.39% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 8 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 278,509 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 278,517 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -1.04% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 2.92% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 340 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Kiribati's surface area (sq. km)?

811 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is up 0.12% from 810 in 1961. The highest value was 811 in 2023 and the lowest 810 in 1961.

How does Kiribati rank?

178th highest of 213 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in surface area (sq. km) unusual for Kiribati?

In 2024, Kiribati's surface area (sq. km) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 811 to 811). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0% and a typical year strayed about 0% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.SRF.TOTL.K2, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 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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