Comparison

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Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
Attribute	South SudanIndexed	KiribatiReviewed
Legal familyIdentical	Common law with customary law	Common law with customary law
System of government	Transitional government of national unity	Presidential republic
Constitution	Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan	Constitution of Kiribati
In force since	2011	1979
Capital	Juba	South Tarawa
Official languages	English, Arabic, Dinka, Nuer	Gilbertese, English
Currency	South Sudanese pound (SSP)	Australian dollar (AUD)
Population	11,100,000	133,000
Division of powers	Decentralised in form, with states and administrative areas whose number has changed repeatedly — from ten at independence to twenty-eight, then thirty-two, and back to ten plus administrative areas under the 2018 agreement. Local government includes county and payam tiers and statutory customary authorities.	Unitary with statutory island councils. The Local Government Act gives each inhabited island a council with bylaw-making powers, and on most islands the traditional maneaba (meeting house assembly) remains the real forum for community decisions. Banaba (Ocean Island) has a distinct status reflecting the displacement of the Banaban community to Rabi in Fiji, with reserved representation in the Maneaba.
How law is made	Bills are introduced by ministers or members, considered in committee and passed by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, with the Council of States participating on matters affecting the states. The President assents. Because the legislature is constituted by power-sharing quota rather than election, and because several key bills including the permanent constitutional process have stalled, the process is transitional rather than settled.	Bills receive three readings in the single chamber and are assented to by the Beretitenti. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members, and amendments affecting Banaban land rights or the Banaban representative additionally require the support of the Rabi Council of Leaders — a rare example of a minority community holding a constitutional veto.
Legal profession	Advocates are admitted through the Ministry of Justice and represented by the South Sudan Bar Association, and the profession is small relative to need, with many practitioners trained in Uganda, Kenya or Sudan. Judicial numbers are low and vacancies persistent, which is a large part of why customary courts carry most of the dispute-resolution load.	A small fused profession admitted by the High Court under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance. Many practitioners are in government service, and the People's Lawyer's office carries most private client work. Because the Court of Appeal is non-resident, appellate hearings are grouped into sittings when judges travel to Tarawa.

A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.