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Kuwait

GDP/capita CAGR
1.2%
Unemployment (2025)
2.2%
Gini index (n/a)
n/a
CO2/capita (2024)
23.7 t

Kuwait: sluggish, near-stagnant growth, 1980–2025

One of the world's largest oil reserves per capita has funded a high-income, state-dominated economy with a large sovereign wealth fund, though diversification beyond hydrocarbons has lagged regional peers like the UAE. Between 1980 and 2025, Kuwait's GDP per capita grew from $19,032 to $32,312 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 1.2% — sluggish, near-stagnant growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 3.0% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 16.8 points, reflecting considerable volatility and periodic crises. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 0.4% to 0.5% of GDP (a notable increase), while services rose from 47.0% to 59.6% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 71.5 to 84.6 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 8.4% to 51.9%, while the urban population share grew from 94.8% to 100.0%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions rose from 22.12 to 23.67 tonnes CO2e per person.

What it trades

Top exported and imported products, approximate share of total trade value.

Top exports

1
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...92.4%
2
Organic chemicals2.5%
3
Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof1.1%
4
Plastics and articles thereof1.1%
5
Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement1.0%
6
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...0.2%
7
Iron and steel0.2%
8
Aluminium and articles thereof0.2%
9
Copper and articles thereof0.2%
10
Commodities not elsewhere specified0.1%

Top imports

1
Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof18.6%
2
Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof10.2%
3
Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof7.3%
4
Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...6.7%
5
Articles of iron or steel5.7%
6
Pharmaceutical products4.0%
7
Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical ...2.6%
8
Meat and edible meat offal2.5%
9
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...2.3%
10
Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere ...2.2%

Events shaping this economy

Central bank perspective

Why the charts below look the way they do, drawing on the country’s own central bank and monetary authority.

Leading companies in Kuwait

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation · EnergyNational Bank of Kuwait · BankingZain Group · TelecomKuwait Finance House · BankingAgility · Logistics

Macroeconomic

GDP growth
% annual
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GDP per capita
current US$
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Inflation (CPI)
% annual
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Unemployment
% of labor force
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Government debt
% of GDP
Data not available for Kuwait
Exports
% of GDP
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Imports
% of GDP
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Foreign direct investment, net inflows
% of GDP
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Current account balance
% of GDP
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Government expenditure
% of GDP
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Structural & Microeconomic

Agriculture, value added
% of GDP
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Industry, value added
% of GDP
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Services, value added
% of GDP
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Labor force participation
% of population 15+
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Gini index (inequality)
index (0-100)
Data not available for Kuwait
Poverty headcount ratio
% of population
Data not available for Kuwait

Education & Development

Tertiary school enrollment
% gross
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Adult literacy rate
% of people 15+
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Education spending
% of GDP
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Primary pupil-teacher ratio
pupils per teacher
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Life expectancy at birth
years
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Urban population
% of total
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Total population
people
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Environmental Cost

CO2 emissions per capita
t CO2e per capita
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