At a glance
Twelve headline indicators, latest available year.
What changed in Kuwait
Statistically notable movements in the latest data.
- Record high2024MajorLife expectancy reached a record high of 84.6 years in 2024 (series since 1960).
- Reversal2025MajorGDP growth turned positive in 2025 (2.7 %, after -1.5 % in 2024).
- Sharp rise2024MajorHigh-tech exports rose 4.0 points to 5.8 % in 2024 (largest rise on record).
Countries similar to Kuwait
Nearest peers by standardised distance on the selected dimension.
Country DNA
Percentile rank among all countries on nine dimensions. Descriptive, not a score.
2025
Key facts
Computed from the data — no model-generated numbers.
Unemployment of 2.2 % in 2025 is below the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median of 8.7 %.
100.0 % of people used the internet in 2025, up from 61.4 % in 2010.
GDP per capita rose from US$ 19,296 in 2000 to US$ 32,312 in 2025 (+67.5 % in current US dollars).
Kuwait's population grew 148.9 % between 2000 and 2025, from 2.0M people to 4.9M people.
GDP grew 0.6 % a year on average over 2014–2025.
100.0 % of the population lived in urban areas in 2025, compared with 99.0 % in 2000.
Trade is worth 94.0 % of GDP (2024), above the world median of 79.7 %.
Within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, Kuwait ranks 6th of 19 for GDP per capita (PPP) (intl $ 56,468, 2025).
Life expectancy of 84.6 years ranks 1st of 23 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (2024).
The fertility rate fell from 2.89 births/woman in 2000 to 1.56 births/woman in 2024.
With a median age of 34.5 years, Kuwait ranks 86th of 216 countries worldwide (2023).
Renewables' share of electricity generation rose from 0.0 % in 2010 to 2.2 % in 2025 (+2.2 points).
Life expectancy gained 8.4 years since 2000, from 76.2 years to 84.6 years in 2024.
CO₂ emissions of 26.25 t per person are 8.8× the world median of 2.99 t (2024).
Borders: Iraq, Saudi Arabia
Languages: Arabic
Timeline
Records, reversals and turning points across the whole history.
- 2025
- 2024
- Sharp dropPopulation growth fell 4.69 points to 0.90 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseHigh-tech exports rose 4.0 points to 5.8 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseContribution to global warming from greenhouse gases rose 0.0010 °C to 0.0040 °C in 2024.
- Sharp riseLife expectancy at birth, female rose 1.7 years to 85.4 years in 2024.
- Sharp riseHigh-technology exports (current US$) rose 562.3 % to US$ 359.7M in 2024.
- Sharp dropFDI inflows fell 0.9 points to 0.4 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseLife expectancy rose 1.4 years to 84.6 years in 2024.
- Sharp riseLife expectancy at birth, male rose 1.1 years to 83.8 years in 2024.
- Sharp riseManufactures exports (% of merchandise exports) rose 4.4 points to 8.1 % in 2024.
- Sharp dropFuel exports (% of merchandise exports) fell 4.8 points to 90.7 % in 2024.
- Sharp dropLabour force participation rate, female (ages 15+) fell 0.8 points to 47.3 % in 2024.
- Record highServices exports set a new high of US$ 12.2B in 2024, the first since 2008.
- Record highHigh-technology exports (current US$) set a new high of US$ 359.7M in 2024, the first since 2018.
- Record highHigh-tech exports set a new high of 5.8 % in 2024, the first since 2018.
- 2023
- Sharp riseLife expectancy rose 2.6 years to 83.2 years in 2023.
- Sharp riseLife satisfaction rose 13.8 % to 6.95 /10 in 2023.
- Sharp dropWomen in parliament fell 3.2 points to 3.1 % in 2023.
- ReversalGDP growth turned negative in 2023 (-1.6 %).
- Sharp riseAlcohol rose 45.5 % to 0.1 L in 2023.
- Sharp riseLife expectancy at birth, female rose 2.6 years to 83.7 years in 2023.
- Sharp dropNet migration fell 318,552 people to 50,008 people in 2023.
- Sharp riseLife expectancy at birth, male rose 2.6 years to 82.7 years in 2023.
- Sharp dropLabour force participation rate, female (ages 15+) fell 1.4 points to 48.2 % in 2023.
- Sharp dropTrade balance fell US$ 23.0B to US$ 32.0B in 2023.
- Sharp riseFDI inflows rose 0.9 points to 1.3 % in 2023.
- Sharp riseImmunization, DPT (% of children ages 12–23 months) rose 3.0 points to 99.0 % in 2023.
Explore Kuwait by topic
19 topics · 251 indicators with data.
- Economy24 with data · 27 indicators
- Government & public finance12 with data · 18 indicators
- Population & demographics23 with data · 23 indicators
- Employment & wages12 with data · 19 indicators
- Income & inequality3 with data · 10 indicators
- Housing0 with data · 12 indicators
- Health23 with data · 23 indicators
- Education15 with data · 16 indicators
- Trade21 with data · 21 indicators
- Energy26 with data · 26 indicators
- Climate16 with data · 16 indicators
- Environment9 with data · 10 indicators
- Infrastructure & transportation7 with data · 10 indicators
- Digital economy & Internet6 with data · 6 indicators
- Innovation, research & technology9 with data · 9 indicators
- Agriculture & natural resources20 with data · 20 indicators
- Tourism5 with data · 5 indicators
- Security & governance8 with data · 15 indicators
- Quality of life12 with data · 14 indicators