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Languages

Languages of Kiribati

South TarawaLocal time

Languages, writing systems and language context

Kiribati
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFILE
Kiribati
Gilbertese
Text direction: LTR

Gilbertese, also called Kiribati, and English are identified by the Government of Kiribati as official languages. Gilbertese is central to everyday national life, while English is also used in government, education and external communication.

2
Core languages shown
Country-level reference set
Gilbertese
First listed core language
Not a speaker-share estimate
1
Writing system represented
Across the core language set
LTR
Primary text direction
Additional directions noted below

Language Overview

GilberteseEnglish

Read the Characters

Gilbertese · 13 characters

Gilbertese · 13 characters
A
a
B
b
E
e
I
i
K
k
M
m
N
n
NG
ng
O
o
R
r
T
t
U
u
W
w

How to Read the Language Landscape

PolicyLegal and administrative language status may differ between national and subnational government.
Everyday useA language can be socially dominant without being the only language used at home, school, work or in media.
Community diversityIndigenous, minority, migrant and sign languages can remain important even when they are not part of a short national headline list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages are used in Kiribati?

Gilbertese, also called Kiribati, and English are identified by the Government of Kiribati as official languages. Gilbertese is central to everyday national life, while English is also used in government, education and external communication.

What writing systems are used in Kiribati?

The represented writing system is Latin and the primary direction shown is left to right.

More about Kiribati

Explore Kiribati across the other DigifyWorld country-data sections.

Public HolidaysPublic holidays 2026 and 2027→Digital AdoptionInternet, payments and digital government→Population & DemographicsPopulation, age structure and projections→Economy SnapshotGDP, trade and economic structure→Currency & ExchangeCurrency, exchange rates and money→Human DevelopmentHDI and quality-of-life indicators→Geography & EnvironmentLand, climate and environment→Practical Country InfoTime, driving, electricity and codes→EducationSchool system and education data→

Sources & methodology

View sources used for this page
Government of Kiribati: Kiribati at a glance

Official government investment profile identifying English and Gilbertese as the official languages of Kiribati.

Unicode CLDR: Country/Region Names

Localized country display-name reference. CLDR names are customary UI/display names, not claims about a state’s full constitutional long-form name.

Unicode: Supported Scripts

Reference for the writing-system/script families represented in the character component.

Unicode: Writing Direction and Bidirectional Text

Reference for left-to-right and right-to-left script direction and bidirectional text behavior.

Unicode Character Database: NamesList

Reference for Unicode character names used as small readout labels under selected character samples; these labels are not presented as a complete transliteration standard.