Environment
Kiribati
Climate
tropical; marine, characterized by hot and humid conditions, tempered by trade winds
Land use
other
56.7% (2023 est.)
forest
1.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
42% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 2.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 39.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
57.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
35,700 tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
15.4% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
significant pollution in the lagoon of south Tarawa atoll resulting from overcrowding combined with traditional methods such as lagoon latrines and open-pit waste disposal; coastal erosion
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
81,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
81,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements