01Key Takeaways
- Kiribati imported $173.83 million worth of goods in 2021, up 59.55% from $108.95 million in 2020. Only two years of confirmed data are available, not a longer trend.
- Mineral fuels led every import category at 12.54% ($21.79 million), the single largest line on an atoll nation's bill that has to bring in nearly all its own fuel.
- Fiji ranked as Kiribati's top import source at 16.29% ($28.31 million), reflecting Fiji's role as the main shipping and transshipment hub for the Pacific.
- Singapore supplied 12.95% ($22.51 million), tied to its position as the world's largest marine bunker fuel trading hub.
022-Year Trend
| Year | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Value | $108.9M | $173.8M |
03Top Import Markets (2021)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiji | $28.3M | 16.3% |
| 2 | China | $27.4M | 15.8% |
| 3 | Australia | $25.2M | 14.5% |
| 4 | Singapore | $22.5M | 13.0% |
| 5 | New Zealand | $15.8M | 9.1% |
| 6 | Vanuatu | $9.7M | 5.6% |
| 7 | Japan | $8.2M | 4.7% |
| 8 | Hong Kong SAR China | $6.0M | 3.4% |
| 9 | Other Asia, nes | $4.9M | 2.8% |
| 10 | Indonesia | $4.1M | 2.3% |
04Top Import Categories (2021)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $21.8M | 12.5% |
| 2 | Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits; Miscellaneous Grains, Seeds and Fruit; Industrial or Medicinal Plants; Straw and Fodder | $11.6M | 6.6% |
| 3 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $11.0M | 6.3% |
| 4 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $9.9M | 5.7% |
| 5 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $9.4M | 5.4% |
| 6 | Preparations of Meat, of Fish or of Crustaceans, Molluscs or other Aquatic Invertebrates | $8.8M | 5.1% |
| 7 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastrycooks' Products | $7.6M | 4.4% |
| 8 | Sugars and Sugar Confectionery | $6.3M | 3.6% |
| 9 | Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes | $6.2M | 3.6% |
| 10 | Cereals | $6.0M | 3.5% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Mineral Fuels and a Grab Bag of Manufactured Goods Top Kiribati's Imports
Kiribati imported $173.83 million worth of goods in 2021, up 59.55% from $108.95 million in 2020. Mineral fuels topped every import category at 12.54% of the total, worth $21.79 million, the single largest line on the import bill of an atoll nation that produces essentially no fuel of its own. Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits added 6.65% ($11.55 million), a category that shows up on both sides of Kiribati's trade. The country exports raw copra, yet it also imports other seed oils to cover local cooking needs its own coconut industry does not fully serve.
Electrical machinery contributed 6.35% ($11.04 million), and vehicles added 5.71% ($9.92 million), the kind of manufactured goods a country this small has no capacity to build itself. Machinery and mechanical appliances supplied 5.42% ($9.42 million). Meat, fish and crustacean preparations added 5.05% ($8.79 million), a notable line for a country sitting in some of the Pacific's richest tuna grounds. Much of that paradox traces back to how Kiribati earns its fishing money. Most of it comes through licensing fees paid by foreign fleets, not through catching, processing and canning fish itself. That leaves the country still dependent on imported canned and prepared fish for its own kitchens.
Fiji and Singapore Anchor Kiribati's Supply Chains
Fiji supplied 16.29% of Kiribati's imports in 2021, worth $28.31 million, more than any other single source. Suva, Fiji's main port, is a key transshipment hub for cargo bound for other Pacific Island countries. That explains why so many goods destined for Kiribati pass through Fiji first, rather than shipping directly from their country of origin. China followed at 15.78% ($27.43 million), and Australia added 14.51% ($25.22 million), a longstanding aid and trade partner across the Pacific.
Singapore contributed 12.95% ($22.51 million). Singapore is the world's largest bunkering hub, with about 40% of the world's marine bunker fuel sold there. That position makes it a natural transit point for fuel cargoes bound for small Pacific markets like Kiribati. New Zealand added 9.08% ($15.78 million), and Vanuatu contributed 5.56% ($9.66 million), another Pacific island economy tied into the same regional shipping routes. Japan supplied 4.73% ($8.22 million), and Hong Kong SAR China added 3.44% ($5.98 million). A grouping labeled other Asia, a catch-all for smaller Asian sources trade data does not break out individually, contributed 2.80% ($4.87 million), and Indonesia closed out the top ten at 2.35% ($4.08 million).
Only Two Years of Data, But a Sharp Jump
Kiribati's import total climbed from $108.95 million in 2020 to $173.83 million in 2021, a jump of 59.55%. That is the complete trend available for this country's import side, just two data points rather than the five-year run available for larger, more consistently reported economies. A single year-over-year comparison this large cannot say on its own whether it reflects a genuine, lasting shift in demand. It could just as easily be a handful of lumpy, one-off purchases landing in a single year.
Small import-dependent economies like Kiribati often see swings like this. Irregular capital goods purchases, shipping schedules that bunch multiple orders into one reporting year, or fuel price volatility layered on top of stable volumes can all produce a jump this size. Without more years of data, it is not possible to say which factor, or combination of factors, drove this particular increase. What is clear is that an economy this small will always show sharper percentage swings than a larger, more diversified economy would from the same dollar-sized change.