Rural population in Kiribati
Kiribati: Rural population was 36.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Kiribati, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Kiribati is 36.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Kiribati peaked at 84.8% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 36.6%, in 2025.
Kiribati ranks 104th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 84.8% | — |
| 1961 | 84.0% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 83.0% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 81.8% | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 80.5% | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 79.3% | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 78.1% | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 77.1% | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 76.3% | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 75.8% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 75.5% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 75.2% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 74.9% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 74.5% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 73.9% | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 72.6% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 71.0% | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 69.5% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 68.4% | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 67.9% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 67.6% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 67.3% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 67.1% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 66.9% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 66.7% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 66.5% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 66.2% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 65.9% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 65.6% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 65.3% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 65.0% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 64.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 64.5% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 64.3% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 64.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 63.7% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 62.9% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 61.4% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 59.5% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 57.7% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 56.7% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 56.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 56.5% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 56.5% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 56.5% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 56.5% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 56.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 55.4% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 54.1% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 52.6% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 50.9% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 50.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 50.0% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 49.6% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 49.0% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 48.2% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 47.0% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 45.5% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 43.7% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 41.6% | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 40.4% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 39.4% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 38.5% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 37.5% | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 36.6% | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.1% | 75.8% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.3% | 67.9% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.5% | 65.3% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.8% | 57.7% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.7% | 52.6% | 56.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.6% | 43.7% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 36.6% | 41.6% | 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 in Kiribati?
- Rural population in Kiribati was 36.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 84.8% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.6% in 2025.
- How does Kiribati rank for rural population?
- Kiribati ranks 104th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kiribati data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
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.