Population Statistics
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Kiribati: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated · UN World Population Prospects

Kiribati has a population of 138,445 (UN estimate, 2026), with Tarawa as its capital. The 37 largest of its 37 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+56%
since 2000 (88,613)
+32%
projected by 2050 (182,621)
191
people per km²
19501975200020252050 38k 183k
UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.
Full UN series, 1950 to 2050
YearPopulation
195037,846
197560,987
200088,613
200598,035
2010108,704
2015116,815
2020126,099
2025136,488
2026138,445
2030 projected146,126
2050 projected182,621

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Kiribati

#PlaceRegionPopulation
1TarawaGilbert Islands40,311
2Betio VillageGilbert Islands12,509
3Bikenibeu VillageGilbert Islands6,170
4Teaoraereke VillageGilbert Islands3,939
5Bairiki VillageGilbert Islands2,766
6Eita VillageGilbert Islands2,299
7Bonriki VillageGilbert Islands2,119
8Temaiku VillageGilbert Islands2,011
9Tabwakea VillageLine Islands1,881
10Makin VillageGilbert Islands1,834
11London VillageLine Islands1,829
12Banraeaba VillageGilbert Islands1,789
13Nawerewere VillageGilbert Islands1,780
14Ambo VillageGilbert Islands1,688
15Buota VillageGilbert Islands1,373
16BananaLine Islands1,209
17Banana VillageLine Islands1,170
18Rawannawi VillageGilbert Islands1,075
19Taborio VillageGilbert Islands955
20RungataGilbert Islands933
21Abarao VillageGilbert Islands908
22Taborio VillageGilbert Islands845
23Eita VillageGilbert Islands814
24Nanikai VillageGilbert Islands803
25Roreti VillageGilbert Islands764
26Toboiaki VillageGilbert Islands668
27Kuma VillageGilbert Islands635
28Rotuma VillageGilbert Islands625
29Buariki VillageGilbert Islands597
30Tabiang VillageGilbert Islands591
31UtiroaGilbert Islands571
32Bakaka VillageGilbert Islands559
33Kiebu VillageGilbert Islands551
34Matang VillageGilbert Islands548
35Tanaeang VillageGilbert Islands514
36Buariki VillageGilbert Islands509
37Napari VillageLine Islands194

Twenty years earlier: Kiribati in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 91,017.

Common questions

What is the population of Kiribati?
Kiribati has a population of 138,445, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 182,621 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Kiribati?
Tarawa.

Go deeper

Tarawa
The largest place we record in Kiribati: 40,311 people
Kiribati in 2005
The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 91,017 then
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