In 2022, electricity consumption in Kiribati was about **307 kWh per person**, with roughly **77 kWh from low-carbon solar electricity** and the remaining **230 kWh from fossil fuels**. That means clean electricity supplied about a quarter of the total, while fossil fuels supplied three-quarters. Total consumption was only about **8% of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person**—roughly one-twelfth as much. Such limited electricity availability can constrain healthcare, refrigeration, education, water services and business development, making increased clean electricity generation an important development priority.

Is Electricity Growing in Kiribati?

Kiribati’s latest figures do not show electricity consumption growing beyond its previous peak. In 2022, consumption per person was **16 kWh below the 2019 record of 323 kWh**, a decline of about 5%. Low-carbon electricity generation per person also remained below its record: **77 kWh in 2022**, compared with **81 kWh in 2019**, likewise about 5% lower. These setbacks are concerning given the need for more electricity to improve living standards and support electrification. However, per-person figures alone do not establish whether total national electricity generation increased or decreased.

Suggestions

Kiribati should prioritize expanding **solar power**, building on its existing contribution of about a quarter of electricity consumption. Rooftop systems and solar-powered island microgrids, supported by batteries and stronger distribution networks, could help increase access and reduce fossil-fuel dependence, climate emissions and air pollution. Australia, a relevant Pacific-region example, generated **58 TWh of solar electricity** in the supplied comparison; its experience offers lessons in solar deployment and remote electricity systems. Island settings such as Japan, with **105 TWh of solar**, also offer useful technical experience, although their scale differs greatly from Kiribati’s. Nuclear should also feature in long-term clean-electricity learning: France’s **376 TWh of nuclear generation** demonstrates its substantial contribution to clean electricity supply. For Kiribati, international cooperation and assessment of technologies appropriate to very small island grids would be a more proportionate starting point than copying large nuclear programmes.

History

From **2019 through 2022**, the supplied history records **zero TWh of annual change in solar generation** in every year. At the precision reported, this shows no measurable expansion in Kiribati’s low-carbon electricity output over that period, rather than an absence of solar generation. Small changes may be hidden by rounding, so these entries cannot establish that output was exactly unchanged. Nevertheless, the record provides no evidence of a substantial solar expansion during these years, underscoring the importance of renewed investment to lift clean electricity generation and availability per person.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade