Kiribati is a unitary parliamentary republic of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, led by President Taneti Maamau since 2016. It has no military, depends on fishing licence fees and foreign aid, and has prioritised climate adaptation.
In the 12 Axes register, Kiribati leans hardest on Progressive – Traditional: Traditional 83%; the register median is Traditional 68%.
Take the test and this line shows how close your twelve scores are to Kiribati, and the axis where you differ most.
Where Kiribati sits on each of the twelve axes, in four categories. The label is our estimate; the line under it says why.
Unitary
Unitary state with island councils
Centrist
Cabinet suspended High Court judges in 2022 crisis
Liberal
Elected parliament and free press
Non-Interventionist
Switched diplomatic ties to Beijing in 2019
Non-Aggressive
No military; police-based security
Centrist
Almost entirely I-Kiribati population
Mixed Economic
Fishing licences and copra shape economy
Balanced
Public sector and aid dominate economy
Moderate
Remote economy tied to aid and fishing fees
Spiritual
Overwhelmingly Christian population
Traditionalist
Male same-sex acts criminalised, up to 14 years
Neutral
No distinct state stance on technology
Set against the median of all 195 countries in the register.
Militarist – Pacifist
On Militarist – Pacifist, Kiribati is at Pacifist 68%. The register median is balanced 50%.
Federal – Unitary
On Federal – Unitary, Kiribati is at Unitary 68%, almost the register median of Unitary 68%.
Closeness is 100 minus the root-mean-square distance on all twelve axes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.britannica.com
Map: TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized.
Last updated: 2026-10-15
The tiers on this page are our estimates from public positions and policies. They are not an official statement by the person or the government concerned. Two independent passes scored every axis and a third settled the differences. How the register works. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].
