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Profile
State of Kuwait
Kuwait at a Glance
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 - Comparative: slightly smaller
than New Jersey
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert
plain
Capital: Kuwait City
Official language: Arabic
Population: 2,875,422 (July 2017 est.)
Government: constitutional monarchy
Establishment 19 June 1961 (from the UK)
National or Regional Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
Area:
total: 17,818 sq km ; land: 17,818 sq
km ; water: 0 sq km
Elevation Extremes(M): lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m ; highest point: unnamed elevation 306
m
Land Boundaries(Km): total: 475 km ; border countries: Iraq 254 km, Saudi Arabia 221 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Geography - Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf1
History
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. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several
weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991
that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure
damaged during 1990-91. The AL-SABAH family returned to power in 1991 and established one
of the most independent legislatures in the Arab World. The country witnessed the historic election
in 2009 of four women to its National Assembly. Amid the 2010-11 uprisings and protests across
the Arab world, stateless Arabs, known as bidoon, staged small protests in early 2011 demanding
citizenship, jobs, and other benefits available to Kuwaiti nationals. Youth activist groups' repeated
rallies in 2011 for the dismissal of a prime minister seen as being corrupt, ultimately led to his
resignation in late 2011. Demonstrations renewed in late 2012 in response to an Amiri decree
amending the electoral law. The opposition, led by a coalition of Sunni Islamists, tribalists, some
liberals, and myriad youth groups, largely boycotted legislative elections in 2012 and 2013, which
ushered in a legislature more amenable to the government's agenda. However, the opposition,
expressing strong opposition to the government’s fiscal reforms, participated in the November
2016 National Assembly election and won almost half of the positions. Since coming to power in
2006, the Amir has dissolved the National Assembly on seven occasions (the Constitutional Court
annulled the Assembly in June 2012 and again in June 2013) and shuffled the cabinet over a dozen
times, usually citing political stagnation and gridlock between the legislature and the government.2
Government
Country name: State of Kuwait
Government
type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kuwait city
Administrative
divisions:
6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah,
Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from the UK)
1 http://www.economywatch.com/economic-statistics/kuwait/Geography/ 2 https://www.indexmundi.com/kuwait/background.html
National
holiday:
National Day, 25 February (1950)
Constitution: history: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Legal system: mixed legal system consisting of English common law, French civil law,
and Islamic religious law
Suffrage: 21 years of age and at least 20-year citizenship; universal; note - in early
2017, legislation was introduced to lower the voting age to 18 and instate
suffrage for the armed forces and police
Executive
branch:
chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January
2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (born 25 June
1937)
head of government: Prime Minister JABIR AL-MUBARAK al-Hamad
al-Sabah (since 30 November 2011); First Deputy Prime Minister NASIR
al-Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 12 December 2017); Deputy Prime
Ministers SABAH al-KHALD al-Sabah (since 4 August 2013), KHALD
al-Jarrah al-Sabah (since December 2016), Anas al-SALEH (since 2015)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved
by the amir
elections/appointments: amir chosen from within the ruling family,
confirmed by the National Assembly; prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the amir
Legislative
branch:
description: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (65 seats;
50 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority
vote and 15 ex-officio members - cabinet ministers - appointed by the
prime minister; members serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 26 November 2016 (next to be held in 2020)
election results: preliminary results - opposition groups including those
linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists 24 seats, other 26
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 upon 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
Source: https://www.indexmundi.com/kuwait/government_profile.html
International Human Development Trend
Human Development Index
Year value
2010 0.792
2012 0.796
2014 0.799
2015 0.802
2016 0.804
2017 0.803 Source: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2018_human_development_statistical_update.pdf
Human Development Indicators
Health
Indicator value
Expenditure on health, public (% of GDP)(%)2015 4.0
Under-five morality (per 1,000 live birth) 2016 8.4
Life expectancy at birth 2017 74.8
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2018_human_development_statistical_update.pdf
Education
Indicator Value
Government expenditure on education (%
of GDP) (%) 2012-2017
…
Primary school dropout rates (% of
primary school cohort) 2007-2016
3.9
Expected Years of Schooling (of children)
2017
13.6
Adult literacy rate, both sexes (% aged 15
and above)
95.7
Mean years of schooling (of adults) (years) 7.3
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2018_human_development_statistical_update.pdf
Economy - overview:
Kuwait has a geographically small, but wealthy, relatively open economy with crude oil reserves
of about 102 billion barrels - more than 6% of world reserves. Kuwaiti officials plan to increase
production to 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020. Petroleum accounts for over half
of GDP, 92% of export revenues, and 90% of government income.
In 2015, Kuwait, for the first time in 15 years, realized a budget deficit after decades of high oil
prices; in 2016, the deficit grew to 16.5% of GDP. Kuwaiti authorities announced cuts to fuel
subsidies in August 2016, provoking outrage among the public and National Assembly, and the
Amir dissolved the government for the seventh time in ten years. In 2017 the deficit was reduced
to 7.2% of GDP. Despite Kuwait’s dependence on oil, the government has cushioned itself against
the impact of lower oil prices, by saving annually at least 10% of government revenue in the Fund
for Future Generations.
Kuwait has failed to diversify its economy or bolster the private sector, because of a poor business
climate, a large public sector that employs about 76% of citizens, and an acrimonious relationship
between the National Assembly and the executive branch that has stymied most economic reforms.
The Kuwaiti Government has made little progress on its long-term economic development plan
first passed in 2010. While the government planned to spend up to $104 billion over four years to
diversify the economy, attract more investment, and boost private sector participation in the
economy, many of the projects did not materialize because of an uncertain political situation or
delays in awarding contracts.3
Economic Outlook
GDP Last Previous Range Unit Reference Frequency
GDP 120 111 1.83:174 USD
Billion
Dec/17 Yearly
GDP Annual
Growth Rate
2 1.8 -
20.62:33.99
% Dec/18 Quarterly
GDP PER CAPITA 33546 35251 33546:4958
9
USD Dec/17 Yearly
GDP PER CAPITA
PPP
65530 68862 65530:9687
0
USD Dec/17 Yearly
Labor Last Previous Range Unit Reference Frequency
POPULATION 4.1 4.1 0.26:4.1 Million Dec/17 Yearly
UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE
2.06 2.08 0.5:3.6 % Dec/18 Yearly
Prices Last Previous Range Unit Reference Frequency
INFLATION RATE 0.6 0.4 -1.15:11.7 % Feb/19 Monthly
Money Last Previous Range Unit Reference Frequency
INTEREST RATE 3 3 2:7.25 % Mar/19 Daily
Trade Last Previous Range Unit Reference Frequency
3 https://www.indexmundi.com/kuwait/economy_overview.html
BALANCE OF
TRADE
3139 2645 25.3:7066 KWS
Million
Sep/18 Quarterly
CURRENT
ACCOUNT
2155 2648 -908:18142 KWD
Million
Sep/18 Quarterly
CURRENT
ACCOUNT TO
GDP
5.9 -4.6 -242:54.57 % Dec/17 Yearly
EXPORTS 5946 5358 648:8855 KWD
Million
Sep/18 Quarterly
IMPORTS 2807 2712 440:2807 KWD
Million
Sep/18 Quarterly
Government Last Previous Range Unit Reference Frequency
GOVERNMENT
DEBT TO GDP
27.1 18.5 1.09:203 % Dec/17 Yearly
GOVERNMENT
BUDGET
11.4 6.6 -151:43.3 % of
GDP
Dec/18 Yearly
CREDIT RATING 90 Monthly
Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/Kuwait/indicators
GDP
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Kuwait was worth 120.13 billion US dollars in 2017. The
GDP value of Kuwait represents 0.19 percent of the world economy. GDP in Kuwait averaged
44.45 USD Billion from 1962 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 174.16 USD Billion in
2013 and a record low of 1.83 USD Billion in 1962.4
4 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/gdp
GDP Annual Growth Rate
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Kuwait expanded 2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018
over the same quarter of the previous year. GDP Annual Growth Rate in Kuwait averaged 3.19
percent from 1963 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 33.99 percent in the fourth quarter of
1993 and a record low of -20.62 percent in the fourth quarter of 1980.5
GDP Per Capita
The Gross Domestic Product per capita in Kuwait was last recorded at 33545.60 US dollars in
2017. The GDP per Capita in Kuwait is equivalent to 266 percent of the world's average. GDP per
capita in Kuwait averaged 40104.58 USD from 1995 until 2017, reaching an all time high of
49588.80 USD in 2007 and a record low of 33545.60 USD in 2017.6
5 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/gdp-growth-annual 6 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/gdp-per-capita
Government Budget
Kuwait recorded a Government Budget surplus equal to 6.60 percent of the country's Gross
Domestic Product in 2017. Government Budget in Kuwait averaged 8.26 percent of GDP from
1990 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 43.30 percent of GDP in 2005 and a record low of
-151.31 percent of GDP in 1991.7
7 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/government-budget
Foreign Trade Evaluation
Trade Last Previous Highest Lowest Unit
Balance of Trade
3138.60 2645.00 7065.90 25.30 KWD
Million
Current Account 2155.00 2648.00 18142.00 -908.00 KWD
Million
Current Account to GDP 5.90 -4.60 54.57 -242.19 percent
Exports 5945.60 5358.00 8855.40 647.50 KWD
Million
Imports 2807.00 2712.00 2807.00 440.00 KWD
Million
Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/balance-of-trade
Balance of Trade
Kuwait recorded a trade surplus of 3138.60 KWD Million in the third quarter of 2018. Balance
of Trade in Kuwait averaged 2127.61 KWD Million from 1993 until 2018, reaching an all time
high of 7065.90 KWD Million in the first quarter of 2012 and a record low of 25.30 KWD Million
in the second quarter of 1998.8
8 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/balance-of-trade
Exports and Imports
Exports in Kuwait increased to 5945.60 KWD Million in the third quarter of 2018 from 5358
KWD Million in the second quarter of 2018. Exports in Kuwait averaged 3447.95 KWD Million
from 1993 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 8855.40 KWD Million in the first quarter of
2012 and a record low of 647.50 KWD Million in the first quarter of 1999.9
Imports in Kuwait increased to 2807 KWD Million in the third quarter of 2018 from 2712 KWD
Million in the second quarter of 2018. Imports in Kuwait averaged 1320.33 KWD Million from
1993 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 2807 KWD Million in the third quarter of 2018 and
a record low of 440 KWD Million in the third quarter of 1994.10
g
9 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/exports 10 https://tradingeconomics.com/kuwait/imports
Tariffs and imports: Summary and duty ranges
Trade Profile 2017
Extracted from: World Trade Organization (WTO), “Trade Profiles 2017”, page.196-197
Kuwait Chamber of Commerce & Industry www.kuwaitchamber.org.kw
Mr. Ali Mohammed Thunayan Al-Ghanim Address: Commercial Area # 9, Al-Shuhadaa St. Kuwait City
775, Safat 13008 - Kuwait Tel: (965) 1805580 (965) 22423555 - (965) 22423666
Fax: (965) 22300074 [email protected]