Kiribati

Is Kiribati safe to visit?

Yes, if you prepare for isolation rather than crime. The US rates Kiribati at Level 1, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against no area, and there is no record of attacks or unrest aimed at visitors. The real dangers are health, distance and the sea. We score Kiribati 72, just below Samoa and Fiji, though for different reasons: Kiribati scores better on roads and politics, and much worse on health.

The data behind that score are thin. National homicide figures stop in 2012 (UNODC), when the five-year average was 5.7 per 100,000; WHO's model gives 4.5 (WHO modelled estimate, 2021). Kiribati has about 133,000 people, so a few killings change the rate a lot. Our confidence is low.

Health is the real risk

Kiribati has one of the world's heaviest tuberculosis burdens. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 908 new cases per 100,000 people in 2023, a rate few countries come close to. A short trip carries little risk, but long stays and work in clinics or crowded homes do.

Water is the everyday problem. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says to drink only boiled or bottled water and skip ice, and not to eat local shellfish or lagoon fish on Tarawa. The lagoon off South Tarawa is highly polluted, so do not swim there. Dengue circulates at low levels, so use repellent in daytime. There is no malaria.

Care is basic. The FCDO describes facilities at the general hospital on Tarawa as modest; on outer islands, clinics are mostly staffed by nurse practitioners. Anything beyond basic treatment means evacuation by air ambulance, and given how few flights there are, that can take time. Bring all prescription medicines and insurance that covers evacuation.

Roads, boats and getting around

Kiribati has few roads, and the numbers are small. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 6.2 road deaths per 100,000 in 2021, from 8 reported deaths, and we score on that figure. The World Bank series records 1.9 for 2019 and an average of 2.9 for 2015–2019, a reminder that one bad crash changes everything here.

Most traffic is on the single road along South Tarawa. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls it poor, but says driving standards are reasonable and warns that minibuses can be dangerously overloaded. Walking at night, watch for unlit stretches and dogs.

Getting there is its own challenge. The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary says commercial transport to and from Kiribati is only sporadically available, and the islands are spread across thousands of kilometres of ocean. Leave buffer days at each end of a trip.

Rising seas and king tides

Kiribati faces a slow-moving hazard rather than sudden disasters. Most land on the atolls is only a few metres above the sea. NASA's Sea Level Change Team measured a rise of 11 cm in the Gilbert Islands, which include Tarawa, over the past 30 years, and projects 15 to 30 cm more by 2050 whatever happens to emissions. Flooding tends to start when the sea is about 50 cm above the normal high-tide line, which spring tides and storms already reach.

For visitors this means wet-season disruption. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that strong winds, swells and coastal inundation from November to April can cut power, water and roads. Cyclones rarely form this close to the equator, but on flat atolls there is no high ground if a tsunami warning comes; follow local instructions and head for upper floors of solid buildings.

Crime, dogs and local rules

Theft and scams are not flagged by the US or UK. Normal care, such as locking your room and keeping cash out of sight, is enough. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says stray dogs have bitten visitors, particularly on beaches; do not run, and get medical help straight away if bitten.

Always carry ID or a printed copy of your passport, as police may ask for it. Dress modestly, avoid revealing swimwear, and remember that same-sex sexual acts are illegal with a maximum penalty of 14 years.

How we scored it

Conflict (92) is the strongest factor, and road safety (81) is good on WHO's 2021 estimate. Health (42) is the weakest, for tuberculosis, unsafe water and evacuation-only care, followed by natural hazards (58). Violent crime (70) follows old UNODC data and a WHO model, so confidence is low.