Kuwait

constitutional monarchy (emirate)

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

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

expected date of next election: April 2028 note: the unicameral National Assembly was dissolved on 10 May 2024 by Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad AL-SABAH for a period of up to four years; the Emir and cabinet officials have assumed the role of the parliament

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

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 note: in May 2024, Amir Sheikh MISHAL al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly and suspended several articles of the constitution for up to four years

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

4.9% of GDP (2024 est.) 4.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 4.5% of GDP (2022 est.) 6.5% of GDP (2021 est.) 6.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

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) note 1: the Emiri Guard Authority and the 25th Commando Brigade are special units within the KAF that exercise independent command authority, although activities such as training and equipment procurement are often coordinated with the other services; the 25th Commando Brigade is Kuwait's leading special forces unit; the Emiri Guard Authority (aka Emiri Guard Brigade) is responsible for protecting Kuwait's heads of state note 2: the National Guard reports directly to the prime minister and the amir and possesses an independent command structure, equipment inventory, and logistics corps separate from the Ministry of Defense, the regular armed services, and the Ministry of Interior; it is responsible for protecting critical infrastructure and providing support for the Ministries of Interior and Defense as required

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) note: the National Guard is restricted to citizens, but in 2018, the Army began allowing non-Kuwaitis to join on contract or as non-commissioned officers; that same year, it also began allowing stateless people (Bidoon) to join

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 region Kuwait'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)

$225.947 billion (2024 est.) $231.884 billion (2023 est.) $235.815 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$45,400 (2024 est.) $47,800 (2023 est.) $51,400 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-2.6% (2024 est.) -1.7% (2023 est.) 6.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.9% (2024 est.) 3.6% (2023 est.) 4% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

9.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

$89.71 billion (2024 est.) $95.476 billion (2023 est.) $110.923 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$61.521 billion (2024 est.) $63.43 billion (2023 est.) $55.909 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

2.2% (2024 est.) 2.2% (2023 est.) 2.2% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $44.254 billion (2015 est.) expenditures: $59.584 billion (2015 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants and social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials

dates, eggs, milk, tomatoes, chicken, lamb/mutton, cucumbers/gherkins, vegetables, maize, eggplants (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 3,172,511 (2025 est.) male: 1,827,274 female: 1,345,237

1.07% (2025 est.)

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)

17.36 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.3 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-4.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 79.6 years (2024 est.) male: 78.1 years female: 81.1 years

urban population: 100% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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.)

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.

Muslim (official) 74.6%, Christian 18.2%, other and unspecified 7.2% (2013 est.) note: data represent the total population; about 72% of the population consists of immigrants

total population: 96.5% (2020 est.) male: 97.1% (2020 est.) female: 95.3% (2020 est.)

petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

refugees: 1,271 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 92,000 (2024 est.)

6 (2025)

total: 176 (2023) by type: general cargo 15, oil tanker 28, other 133

total subscriptions: 8.11 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 168 (2023 est.)

percent of population: 100% (2023 est.)