THE WORLD FACTBOOK — Reference Edition 2026

Background: Kuwait has been ruled by the AL-SABAH dynasty since the 18th century. The threat of Ottoman invasion in 1899 prompted Amir Mubarak AL-SABAH to seek protection from Britain, ceding foreign and defense responsibility to Britain until 1961, when the country attained its independence. Iraq attacked and overran Kuwait in 1990. After several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN coalition began a ground assault in 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. In 1992, the Amir reconstituted the parliament that he had dissolved in 1986. Amid the 2010-11 uprisings and protests across the Arab world, stateless Arabs known as Bidoon staged small protests demanding citizenship, jobs, and other benefits available to Kuwaiti nationals. Other demographic groups, notably Islamists and Kuwaitis from tribal backgrounds, soon joined the growing protest movements, which culminated with the resignation of the prime minister amid allegations of corruption. Demonstrations renewed in 2012 in response to a decree amending the electoral law that lessened the voting power of the tribal blocs. An opposition coalition of Sunni Islamists, tribal populists, and some liberals largely boycotted legislative elections in 2012 and 2013, which ushered in a legislature more amenable to the government's agenda. Faced with the prospect of painful subsidy cuts, oppositionists and independents actively participated in the 2016 election, winning nearly half the seats, but the opposition became increasingly factionalized. Between 2006 and his death in 2020, the Amir dissolved the National Assembly on seven occasions and shuffled the cabinet over a dozen times, usually citing political stagnation and gridlock between the legislature and the government. The current Amir, who assumed his role in 2020, launched a "National Dialogue" in 2021 meant to resolve political gridlock. As part of this initiative, the Amir pardoned several opposition figures who had been living in exile, and they returned to Kuwait. Legislative challenges remain, and the cabinet has been reshuffled six times since 2020.

Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N, 45 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 17,818 sq km
land: 17,818 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 475 km
border countries: Iraq 254 km; Saudi Arabia 221 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Elevation: highest point: 3.6 km W. of Al-Salmi Border Post 300 m
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
mean elevation: 108 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use: agricultural land: 8.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
forest: 0.4% (2023 est.)
other: 91.2% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: 100 sq km (2015)
Major watersheds (area sq km): Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
Major aquifers: Arabian Aquifer System
Population distribution: densest settlement is along the Persian Gulf, particularly in Kuwait City and on Bubiyan Island; significant population threads extend south and west along highways that radiate from the capital, particularly in the southern half of the country
Natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year but are most common between March and August
Geography - note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

Population: total: 3,172,511 (2025 est.)
male: 1,827,274
female: 1,345,237
Nationality: noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti
Ethnic groups: Kuwaiti 30.4%, other Arab 27.4%, Asian 40.3%, African 1%, other 0.9% (includes European, North American, South American, and Australian) (2018 est.)
Languages: Languages: Arabic (official), English widely spoken
major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions: Muslim (official) 74.6%, Christian 18.2%, other and unspecified 7.2% (2013 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23% (male 376,415/female 346,190)
15-64 years: 73.4% (male 1,386,349/female 917,465)
65 years and over: 3.6% (2024 est.) (male 47,778/female 64,158)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 36 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 30.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 19.7 (2025 est.)
Median age: total: 30.4 years (2025 est.)
male: 31.1 years
female: 28.9 years
Population growth rate: 1.07% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 17.36 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 2.3 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution: densest settlement is along the Persian Gulf, particularly in Kuwait City and on Bubiyan Island; significant population threads extend south and west along highways that radiate from the capital, particularly in the southern half of the country
Urbanization: urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 3.298 million KUWAIT (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.51 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.36 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.6 years (2024 est.)
male: 78.1 years
female: 81.1 years
Total fertility rate: 2.19 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 1.07 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 5.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 9.4% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density: 2.27 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density: 2.4 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 37.9% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita: total: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use: total: 22.4% (2025 est.)
male: 34.9% (2025 est.)
female: 1.9% (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.8% (2023 est.)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 6.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 13.8% national budget (2025 est.)
Literacy: total population: 96.5% (2020 est.)
male: 97.1% (2020 est.)
female: 95.3% (2020 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 15 years (2015 est.)
male: 13 years (2015 est.)
female: 16 years (2015 est.)

Environmental issues: limited natural freshwater resources; air and water pollution; desertification; loss of biodiversity
International environmental agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Convention
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Land use: agricultural land: 8.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
forest: 0.4% (2023 est.)
other: 91.2% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 100.459 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 149,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 48.723 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 51.587 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 54.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Methane emissions: energy: 819.9 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture: 7.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste: 256.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
other: 0.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.75 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15.4% (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 448.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial: 23.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural: 778.4 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 20 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
etymology: the name derives from the capital city, which comes from the Arabic al-kuwayt, itself a diminutive of the Hindustani term kut, meaning a fortress-like house
Government type: constitutional monarchy (emirate)
Capital: name: Kuwait City
geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name comes from the Arabic al-kuwayt, a diminutive of the Hindustani term kut, meaning a fortress-like house
Administrative divisions: 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir
Legal system: mixed system consisting of English common law, French civil law, and Islamic sharia law
Constitution: history: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962; suspended 1976 to 1981 (4 articles); 1986 to 1991; May to July 1999
amendment process: proposed by the amir or supported by at least one third of the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds consent of the Assembly membership and promulgation by the amir; constitutional articles on the initiation, approval, and promulgation of general legislation cannot be amended
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship: citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kuwait
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: not specified
Suffrage: 21 years of age and at least 20-year citizenship
Executive branch: chief of state: Amir MISHAL al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 16 December 2023)
head of government: Prime Minister AHMAD ABDULLAH Al-Ahmad al Sabah (since 15 May 2024)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by the amir
election/appointment process: amir chosen from within the ruling family, confirmed by the National Assembly; prime minister appointed by the amir
Legislative branch: expected date of next election: April 2028
Judicial branch: highest court(s): Constitutional Court (consists of 5 judges); Supreme Court or Court of Cassation (organized into several circuits, each with 5 judges)
judge selection and term of office: all Kuwaiti judges appointed by the Amir on recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council, a consultative body comprised of Kuwaiti judges and Ministry of Justice officials
subordinate courts: High Court of Appeal; Court of First Instance; Summary Court
Political parties: none; the government does not recognize any political parties or allow their formation, although no formal law bans political parties
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador AL-ZAIN Sabah Naser Saud Al-Sabah (since 19 April 2023)
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8468
email address and website: info@kuwaitembassy.ushttps://www.kuwaitembassy.us/
consulate(s) general: Beverly Hills (CA), New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Steven R. BUTLER (since July 2025)
embassy: P.O. Box 77, Safat 13001
mailing address: 6200 Kuwait Place, Washington DC 20521-6200
telephone: [00] (965) 2259-1001
FAX: [00] (965) 2538-0282
email address and website: KuwaitACS@state.govhttps://kw.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional member), AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CD, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, Paris Club (associate), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from the UK)
National holiday: National Day, 25 February (1950)
Flag: description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red, with a black trapezoid based on the left sidemeaning: green stands for fertile fields, white for purity, red for blood on Kuwaiti swords, and black for defeating the enemyhistory: colors and design are based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I
National symbol(s): golden falcon
National color(s): green, white, red, black
National anthem(s): title: "Al-Nasheed Al-Watani" (National Anthem)
lyrics/music: Ahmad MUSHARI al-Adwani/Ibrahim Nasir al-SOULA
history: adopted 1978; the anthem is only used on formal occasions

Economic overview: small, high-income, oil-based Middle East economy; renewable energy proponent; regional finance and investment leader; maintains oldest sovereign wealth fund; emerging space and tourism industries; mid-way through 25-year development program
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $225.947 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $231.884 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $235.815 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: -2.6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: -1.7% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 6.8% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $45,400 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $47,800 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $51,400 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $160.227 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 2.9% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 3.6% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 4% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 0.5% (2024 est.)
industry: 57.1% (2024 est.)
services: 55.9% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 32.6% (2022 est.)
government consumption: 20.7% (2022 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 16.1% (2022 est.)
investment in inventories: 0.8% (2022 est.)
exports of goods and services: 60.4% (2022 est.)
imports of goods and services: -30.5% (2022 est.)
Agricultural products: dates, eggs, milk, tomatoes, chicken, lamb/mutton, cucumbers/gherkins, vegetables, maize, eggplants (2023)
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: -5.2% (2024 est.)
Labor force: 3.003 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024: 2.2% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 2.2% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 2.2% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 15.4% (2024 est.)
male: 9.3% (2024 est.)
female: 28.9% (2024 est.)
Average household expenditures: on food: 19.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 0.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2024: 0% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 0% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget: revenues: $44.254 billion (2015 est.)
expenditures: $59.584 billion (2015 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 9.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2024: $46.703 billion (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: $51.396 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $63.078 billion (2022 est.)
Exports: Exports 2024: $89.71 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $95.476 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $110.923 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners: China 25%, India 13%, Japan 13%, Taiwan 7%, UK 5% (2023)
Exports - commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, hydrocarbons, plastics (2023)
Imports: Imports 2024: $61.521 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $63.43 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $55.909 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners: China 18%, UAE 10%, USA 9%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Japan 6% (2023)
Imports - commodities: cars, natural gas, garments, broadcasting equipment, packaged medicine (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024: $50.728 billion (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $52.619 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $52.462 billion (2022 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 0.307 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 0.307 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 0.306 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 0.302 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 0.306 (2020 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 20.294 million kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 78.047 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 7.516 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 97.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
wind: 2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: consumption: 60,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
exports: 11 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 152,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 2.91 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 430,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 101.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas: production: 19.207 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
consumption: 26.296 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
imports: 8.433 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 1.784 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 389.848 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 573,000 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 8.11 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 168 (2023 est.)
Broadcast media: state-owned TV broadcaster operates 4 networks and a satellite channel; several private TV broadcasters; satellite TV available, and pan-Arab TV stations are especially popular; state-owned Radio Kuwait broadcasts on a number of channels in Arabic and English; first private radio station in 2005; transmissions of at least 2 international radio broadcasters are available (2019)
Internet country code: .kw
Internet users: percent of population: 100% (2023 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 49,000 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2023 est.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9K
Airports: 6 (2025)
Heliports: 20 (2025)
Merchant marine: total: 176 (2023)
by type: general cargo 15, oil tanker 28, other 133
Ports: total ports: 6 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 2
small: 1
very small: 3
ports with oil terminals: 4
key ports: Al Kuwayt, Doha Harbor, Mina Abd Allah, Mina Al Ahmadi, Mina Ash Shuaybah, Mina Az Zawr

Military and security forces: Kuwait Armed Forces (KAF): Kuwait Army (aka Kuwait Land Forces, KLF), Kuwait Navy (aka Kuwait Naval Force), Kuwait Air Force; Kuwait National Guard (KNG)Ministry of Interior: Kuwait Police, State Security, Kuwait Coast Guard (2025)
Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2024: 4.9% of GDP (2024 est.)
Military Expenditures 2023: 4.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 6.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 6.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths: approximately 17,000 active Kuwait Armed Forces; approximately 7,000 National Guard (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions: the military's inventory consists of armaments from Western Europe, Russia, and particularly the US (2025)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 12-month compulsory service for men aged 18-35; mandatory service is divided into two phases – 4 months for training and 8 months for military service (2025)
Military - note: the Kuwaiti Armed Forces (KAF) are responsible for defending Kuwait's sovereignty and territory; Kuwait’s security concerns include regional threats from state and non-state actors, maritime security, and terrorism; the KAF participates in bilateral and multilateral exercises, as well as a limited number of multinational security operations such as maritime patrols in the Persian Gulf; it also provided a few fighter aircraft to the Saudi-led coalition intervention in Yemen in 2015; the KAF is part of the Peninsula Shield Forces, a joint military force established by the GCC countries with the aim of maintaining security and stability in the regionKuwait's key security partner since the 1991 Gulf War has been the US; the US maintains thousands of military personnel as well as logistics and training facilities in Kuwait as part of mutual cooperation agreements signed in 1991 and 2013; the KAF conducts bilateral exercises with the US military and would look to US assistance in the event of an external attack; Kuwait has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 1,271 (2024 est.)
stateless persons: 92,000 (2024 est.)

Kuwait