South Tarawa is the capital city of Kiribati.

South Tarawa hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population center consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki and Tanaka in the northeast, connected by the South Tarawa main road, with a population of 63,439 as of 2020.

At the time of the 1978 Census, South Tarawa had a population of 17,921 with most residents living in the main population centers of Betio, Bairiki, and Bikenibeu. Since Kiribati became independent in 1979, the population of South Tarawa has more than tripled, and now stands at 63,439 people (2020).