Rural population growth (annual %) in Kiribati
Kiribati: Rural population growth (annual %) was -1.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Kiribati, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded -1.0% for rural population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 831.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Kiribati peaked at 2.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, -3.2%, in 2020.
Kiribati ranks 171st of 210 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.5% | — |
| 1962 | 1.3% | -16.3% |
| 1963 | 1.1% | -14.6% |
| 1964 | 1.0% | -8.6% |
| 1965 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 0.3% | -66.0% |
| 1967 | -0.3% | -179.1% |
| 1968 | -0.0% | -83.3% |
| 1969 | 0.8% | -1888.0% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | +95.3% |
| 1971 | 1.6% | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | -5.3% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | -19.5% |
| 1974 | -0.2% | -119.7% |
| 1975 | -2.1% | +771.6% |
| 1976 | -2.7% | +29.8% |
| 1977 | -2.8% | +3.7% |
| 1978 | -2.2% | -20.6% |
| 1979 | -0.3% | -87.8% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -516.1% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +8.8% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 1.3% | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | +17.1% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +22.2% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 1.6% | -14.8% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | -17.8% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | -9.0% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -10.1% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -9.2% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -41.8% |
| 1997 | -0.7% | -219.0% |
| 1998 | -1.4% | +112.0% |
| 1999 | -1.3% | -7.3% |
| 2000 | -0.1% | -91.7% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -1615.5% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | +25.3% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -15.6% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -73.5% |
| 2008 | -0.3% | -175.5% |
| 2009 | -0.5% | +50.6% |
| 2010 | -0.0% | -90.0% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -1055.1% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +18.8% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -25.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -68.6% |
| 2016 | -0.3% | -287.8% |
| 2017 | -1.0% | +284.0% |
| 2018 | -1.8% | +77.1% |
| 2019 | -2.5% | +38.8% |
| 2020 | -3.2% | +29.4% |
| 2021 | -1.2% | -63.1% |
| 2022 | -0.7% | -38.9% |
| 2023 | -0.9% | +19.2% |
| 2024 | -1.0% | +12.2% |
| 2025 | -1.0% | +5.7% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's -1.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%. (47 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's -1.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0%. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) in Kiribati changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | +1888.0% | -0.0% | 0.8% |
| 2001 | +1615.5% | -0.1% | 1.7% |
| 2011 | +1055.1% | -0.0% | 0.5% |
| 1975 | -771.6% | -0.2% | -2.1% |
| 1980 | +516.1% | -0.3% | 1.1% |
| 2016 | -287.8% | 0.1% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7% | -0.3% | 1.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | -0.4% | -2.8% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | -1.4% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | -0.5% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.3% | -2.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.3% | -3.2% | -0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
More agriculture & rural data for Kiribati
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2317 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 590.95 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3661 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Kiribati?
- Rural population growth in Kiribati was -1.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.2% in 2020.
- How does Kiribati rank for rural population growth?
- Kiribati ranks 171st out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 831.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kiribati data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.