Food imports in Kiribati
Kiribati: Food imports was 41.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Kiribati, 1973–2021
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded 41.4% for food imports in 2021.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Kiribati peaked at 45.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 26.3%, in 1992.
That places Kiribati 3rd out of 196 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Food imports in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 37.0% | — |
| 1974 | 44.6% | +20.5% |
| 1975 | 39.2% | -12.2% |
| 1976 | 36.1% | -7.8% |
| 1977 | 34.1% | -5.6% |
| 1978 | 33.6% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 40.0% | +19.1% |
| 1980 | 39.5% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 32.1% | -18.5% |
| 1984 | 32.5% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 32.6% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 32.4% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 37.2% | +14.8% |
| 1989 | 36.0% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 31.4% | -12.8% |
| 1991 | 37.1% | +18.0% |
| 1992 | 26.3% | -29.1% |
| 1993 | 35.9% | +36.7% |
| 1994 | 40.7% | +13.3% |
| 1995 | 39.4% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 40.9% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 32.3% | -21.0% |
| 1998 | 41.4% | +28.1% |
| 1999 | 36.8% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 28.8% | -21.9% |
| 2005 | 36.4% | +26.7% |
| 2006 | 37.7% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 38.4% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 40.5% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 42.3% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 40.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 45.1% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 33.7% | -25.3% |
| 2013 | 36.2% | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 38.0% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 33.0% | -13.1% |
| 2016 | 36.6% | +10.9% |
| 2017 | 39.4% | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 37.5% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 43.7% | +16.6% |
| 2021 | 41.4% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.8% | 33.6% | 44.6% | 7 |
| 1980s | 34.6% | 32.1% | 39.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 36.2% | 26.3% | 41.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.3% | 28.8% | 42.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 37.8% | 33.0% | 45.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 42.6% | 41.4% | 43.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
More private sector data for Kiribati
- Merchandise trade 147.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 43.0% (2021)
- Merchandise imports 496.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 97.2% (2021)
- Manufactures exports 2.1% (2021)
- Merchandise exports 20.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 146.53 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0573 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 3,634 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Kiribati?
- Food imports in Kiribati was 41.4% in 2021, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 45.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.3% in 1992.
- How does Kiribati rank for food imports?
- Kiribati ranks 3rd out of 196 countries with data for 2021.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kiribati data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.