Summary
- Exports
- $109million
- Imports
- $187million
- Trade balance
- -$78million
Products
What it exports
Frozen fish (83.7%) and cargo and cruise ships (7%) together make up 90.7% of its exports.
What it imports
Cargo and cruise ships (6.7%) and refined petroleum (3.6%) together make up 10.3% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (92)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $98 million | $217 thousand |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $8 million | $19 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $758 thousand | $885 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $396 thousand | $110 thousand |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $370 thousand | $11 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $332 thousand | $8 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $174 thousand | $770 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $170 thousand | $1 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $158 thousand | $20 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $145 thousand | $2 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $125 thousand | $2 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $97 thousand | $0 |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $85 thousand | $590 thousand |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $66 thousand | $428 thousand |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $44 thousand | $2 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $33 thousand | $288 thousand |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $28 thousand | $4 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $28 thousand | $15 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $25 thousand | $26 thousand |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $24 thousand | $39 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $19 thousand | $5 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $17 thousand | $4 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $15 thousand | $114 thousand |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $15 thousand | $2 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $14 thousand | $4 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $10 thousand | $2 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $10 thousand | $781 thousand |
| 64 · Footwear | $9 thousand | $344 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $9 thousand | $8 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $4 thousand | $8 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $4 thousand | $9 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $4 thousand | $603 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $3 thousand | $515 thousand |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $2 thousand | $970 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $2 thousand | $592 thousand |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $2 thousand | $446 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $2 thousand | $2 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $876 | $423 thousand |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $758 | $37 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $577 | $49 thousand |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $569 | $2 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $499 | $262 thousand |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $144 | $1 million |
| 70 · Glass | $104 | $127 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $80 | $0 |
| 40 · Rubber | $60 | $774 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $48 | $852 |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $42 | $198 thousand |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $38 | $8 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $22 | $636 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $5 | $0 |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $6 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $5 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $5 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $0 | $5 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $0 | $4 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $4 million |
| 44 · Wood | $0 | $3 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $0 | $2 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $0 | $1 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $0 | $1 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $0 | $583 thousand |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $0 | $549 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $0 | $547 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $0 | $319 thousand |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $0 | $315 thousand |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $0 | $158 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $0 | $130 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $88 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $60 thousand |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $0 | $51 thousand |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $0 | $30 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $0 | $27 thousand |
| 74 · Copper | $0 | $23 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $0 | $21 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $20 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $20 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $20 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $0 | $9 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $0 | $2 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $0 | $2 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $2 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $909 |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $0 | $469 |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $357 |
| 78 · Lead | $0 | $47 |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $0 | $22 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Thailand (63% of exports) and its main source is China (28.8% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 68.9 | 63% | Sea |
| Colombia | 13.9 | 12.8% | Sea |
| Indonesia | 7.7 | 7% | Sea |
| Japan | 4.9 | 4.5% | Sea |
| Philippines | 3.2 | 2.9% | Sea |
| South Korea | 2.5 | 2.3% | Sea |
| Spain | 2.1 | 1.9% | Sea |
| Italy | 1.7 | 1.5% | Sea |
| Fiji | 1 | 0.92% | Sea |
| France | 0.9 | 0.82% | — |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 53.8 | 28.8% | Sea |
| Fiji | 26.9 | 14.4% | Sea |
| Japan | 22 | 11.8% | Sea |
| Australia | 21.2 | 11.4% | Sea |
| New Zealand | 13.2 | 7.1% | Sea |
| Taiwan | 10.6 | 5.7% | Sea |
| South Korea | 8.4 | 4.5% | Sea |
| Thailand | 6.6 | 3.6% | Sea |
| Indonesia | 4.3 | 2.3% | Sea |
| Singapore | 3.6 | 1.9% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Kiribati accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 11-fold since 1995
USD millions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 109
- Imports 187
- Balance -77.5
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $10 million | $43 million | -$33 million |
| 1996 | $9 million | $62 million | -$52 million |
| 1997 | $41 million | $53 million | -$12 million |
| 1998 | $33 million | $45 million | -$12 million |
| 1999 | $14 million | $56 million | -$42 million |
| 2000 | $22 million | $31 million | -$10 million |
| 2001 | $36 million | $23 million | $13 million |
| 2002 | $30 million | $40 million | -$10 million |
| 2003 | $26 million | $31 million | -$5 million |
| 2004 | $11 million | $63 million | -$53 million |
| 2005 | $8 million | $88 million | -$80 million |
| 2006 | $8 million | $75 million | -$67 million |
| 2007 | $17 million | $99 million | -$82 million |
| 2008 | $31 million | $93 million | -$61 million |
| 2009 | $39 million | $88 million | -$49 million |
| 2010 | $26 million | $120 million | -$94 million |
| 2011 | $59 million | $166 million | -$107 million |
| 2012 | $71 million | $179 million | -$108 million |
| 2013 | $91 million | $165 million | -$74 million |
| 2014 | $88 million | $202 million | -$115 million |
| 2015 | $136 million | $185 million | -$48 million |
| 2016 | $138 million | $165 million | -$27 million |
| 2017 | $160 million | $153 million | $7 million |
| 2018 | $120 million | $141 million | -$21 million |
| 2019 | $124 million | $99 million | $24 million |
| 2020 | $111 million | $174 million | -$63 million |
| 2021 | $108 million | $224 million | -$117 million |
| 2022 | $126 million | $191 million | -$64 million |
| 2023 | $90 million | $166 million | -$76 million |
| 2024 | $109 million | $187 million | -$78 million |
World rank
Kiribati rose from 197th to 190th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 197th in 1995
- 190th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 197th |
| 1996 | 197th |
| 1997 | 183rd |
| 1998 | 186th |
| 1999 | 197th |
| 2000 | 200th |
| 2001 | 194th |
| 2002 | 198th |
| 2003 | 200th |
| 2004 | 209th |
| 2005 | 210th |
| 2006 | 212th |
| 2007 | 208th |
| 2008 | 204th |
| 2009 | 199th |
| 2010 | 203rd |
| 2011 | 199th |
| 2012 | 202nd |
| 2013 | 197th |
| 2014 | 194th |
| 2015 | 191st |
| 2016 | 191st |
| 2017 | 189th |
| 2018 | 196th |
| 2019 | 196th |
| 2020 | 193rd |
| 2021 | 196th |
| 2022 | 194th |
| 2023 | 195th |
| 2024 | 190th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still fish and seafood: 90% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 1%
- Home textiles and used clothing 0%
- Miscellaneous metal goods 0%
- Prepared meat and fish 0%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 0%
- Oilseeds and grains 0%
- Fats and oils 1%
- Ships and boats 7%
- Fish and seafood 90%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and seafood | 48% | 90% |
| Ships and boats | 0.03% | 7% |
| Fats and oils | 0% | 0.69% |
| Oilseeds and grains | 46.4% | 0.36% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 0.09% | 0.34% |
| Prepared meat and fish | 0.03% | 0.3% |
| Miscellaneous metal goods | 0% | 0.16% |
| Home textiles and used clothing | 0% | 0.16% |
| Other | 5.4% | 0.92% |
Who it trades with
Australia went from 35% to 7% of Kiribati's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Thailand 25%
- China 18%
- Fiji 9%
- Japan 9%
- Australia 7%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 0.32% | 25.5% |
| China | 4.2% | 18.2% |
| Fiji | 12.2% | 9.4% |
| Japan | 10.9% | 9.1% |
| Australia | 34.6% | 7.2% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.