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Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

state-owned TV broadcaster operates 4 networks and a satellite channel; several private TV broadcasters have emerged since 2003; satellite TV available with pan-Arab TV stations especially popular; state-owned Radio Kuwait broadcasts on a number of channels in Arabic and English; first private radio station emerged in 2005; transmissions of at least 2 international radio broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code [time series]

.kw

Internet users [time series]

total: 2.4 million | percent of population: 86.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: the quality of service is excellent | domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a mobile-cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones | international: country code - 965; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 6 (3 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean, and 2 Arabsat) (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

total subscriptions: 490,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 7.6 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 277 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $87.62 billion | expenditures: $75.28 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]

7.1% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

Central bank discount rate [time series]

1.25% (31 December 2010) | 3% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 124

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

4.3% (31 December 2014 est.) | 4.6% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Current account balance [time series]

$53.53 billion (2014 est.) | $72.46 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 11

Debt - external [time series]

$35.22 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $36.04 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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 oil production to 4 million barrels per day by 2020. Petroleum accounts for over half of GDP, 94% of export revenues, and 89% of government income. For the last decade, high oil prices have generated budget surpluses despite increasing budget expenditures, particularly on wage hikes for public sector employees. Despite Kuwait’s dependence on oil, the government has cushioned itself against the impact of lower oil prices by continuous saving of at least 10% of government revenue in the Fund for Future Generations. Kuwait has done little to diversify its economy, in part, due to a poor business climate and an acrimonious relationship between the National Assembly and the executive branch that has stymied most economic reforms. In 2010, Kuwait passed its first long-term economic development plan in almost twenty-five years. While the government planned to spend up $104 billion over four years to diversify the economy away from oil, attract more investment, and boost private sector participation in the economy, many of the projects did not materialize because of the uncertain political situation.

Exchange rates [time series]

Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - | 0.2845 (2014 est.) | 0.2845 (2013 est.) | 0.28 (2012 est.) | 0.276 (2011 est.) | 0.2866 (2010 est.)

Exports [time series]

$103.4 billion (2014 est.) | $115.9 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 38

Exports - commodities [time series]

oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners [time series]

South Korea 16.7%, India 14.9%, Japan 12.3%, US 11.3%, China 9.9% (2014)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April - 31 March

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$172.6 billion (2014 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$282.6 billion (2014 est.) | $282.3 billion (2013 est.) | $280 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 54

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]

agriculture: 0.4% | industry: 60.6% | services: 39% (2014 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$70,700 (2014 est.) | $70,600 (2013 est.) | $70,000 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 10

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

0.1% (2014 est.) | 0.8% (2013 est.) | 7.7% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 199

Gross national saving [time series]

46.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | 56.6% of GDP (2013 est.) | 58.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$27.38 billion (2014 est.) | $25.66 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Imports - commodities [time series]

food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Imports - partners [time series]

US 12.7%, China 11.9%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, South Korea 6.9%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 4.8%, India 4.2% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-1.3% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.9% (2014 est.) | 2.7% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Labor force [time series]

2.397 million | note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 60% of the labor force (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: NA% | industry: NA% | services: NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$99.77 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $100.9 billion (31 December 2011) | $119.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Public debt [time series]

6.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | 6.1% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$31.43 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $32.23 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Stock of broad money [time series]

$116 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $116.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 52

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$36.85 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $33.12 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 45

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$3.882 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.744 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$96.65 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $95.09 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Stock of narrow money [time series]

$32.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $31.86 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Taxes and other revenues [time series]

50.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15

Unemployment rate [time series]

3% (2014 est.) | 3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Energy

Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]

105.7 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 40

Crude oil - exports [time series]

1.824 million bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Crude oil - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Crude oil - production [time series]

2.619 million bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

104 billion bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6

Electricity - consumption [time series]

50 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122

Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 189

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]

14.7 million kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Electricity - production [time series]

58.9 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

16.88 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 129

Natural gas - imports [time series]

571 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Natural gas - production [time series]

16.31 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

1.798 trillion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]

467,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]

533,100 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Refined petroleum products - production [time series]

772,300 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 17,818 sq km | land: 17,818 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 158

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate [time series]

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Coastline [time series]

499 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m | highest point: unnamed elevation 306 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

limited natural freshwater resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection | signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 0.91 cu km/yr (47%/2%/51%) | per capita: 441.2 cu m/yr (2005)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

29 30 N, 45 45 E

Geography - note [time series]

strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

Irrigated land [time series]

86 sq km (2007)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 475 km | border countries (2): Iraq 254 km, Saudi Arabia 221 km

Land use [time series]

agricultural land: 8.5% | arable land 0.6%; permanent crops 0.3%; permanent pasture 7.6% | forest: 0.4% | other: 91.1% (2011 est.)

Location [time series]

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia

Map references [time series]

Middle East

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Terrain [time series]

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Total renewable water resources [time series]

0.02 cu km (2011)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir

Capital [time series]

name: Kuwait City | geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E | time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC,during Standard Time)

Citizenship [time series]

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

Constitution [time series]

approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 (2015)

Country name [time series]

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 is from Arabic "al-Kuwayt" a diminutive of "kut" meaning "fortress encircled by water"

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas Alan SILLIMAN (since 31 August 2014) | embassy: Bayan 36302, Block 13, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City | mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 | telephone: [965] 2259-1001 [965] 2259-1001 | FAX: [965] 2538-6562 [965] 2538-6562

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 10 October 2001) | chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 | FAX: [1] (202) 966-8468 | consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Executive branch [time series]

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 SABAH Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah; Deputy Prime Ministers al-KHALD al-Jarrah al-Sabah, MUHAMMAD AL-KHALID al-Hamad al-Sabah, Abdulmohsen MUDEJ | 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

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; colors and design are based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I; green represents fertile fields, white stands for purity, red denotes blood on Kuwaiti swords, black signifies the defeat of the enemy

Government type [time series]

constitutional emirate

Independence [time series]

19 June 1961 (from the UK)

International law organization participation [time series]

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation [time series]

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, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

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

Legal system [time series]

mixed legal system consisting of English common law, French civil law, and Islamic religious law

Legislative branch [time series]

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 27 July 2013 (next to be held in July 2017) | election results: seats won - pro-government 30, liberal 9, Shiite 8, Sunni 3

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

name: "Al-Nasheed Al-Watani" (National Anthem) | lyrics/music: Ahmad MUSHARI al-Adwani/Ibrahim Nasir al-SOULA | note: adopted 1978; the anthem is only used on formal occasions

National holiday [time series]

National Day, 25 February (1950)

National symbol(s) [time series]

golden falcon; national colors: green, white, red, black

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

none; while the formation of political parties is not permitted, they are not forbidden by law

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

other: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military or police by law cannot vote; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 February and March 2011 demanding citizenship, jobs, and other benefits available to Kuwaiti nationals. Youth activist groups - supported by opposition legislators - rallied repeatedly in 2011 for the prime minister's dismissal amid allegations of widespread government corruption, ultimately prompting the prime minister to resign in late 2011. Demonstrations, following a short lull, renewed in late 2012 in response to an Amiri decree amending the electoral law to reduce the number of votes per person from four to one. 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. Since coming to power in 2006, the Amir has dissolved the National Assembly on five 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.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 1,002,480 | females age 16-49: 616,958 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 840,912 | females age 16-49: 523,206 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 17,653 | female: 16,232 (2010 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Kuwaiti Land Forces (KLF), Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya; includes Kuwaiti Air Defense Force, KADF), Kuwaiti National Guard (KNG) (2013)

Military expenditures [time series]

0% of GDP (2012) | 3.35% of GDP (2011) | 0% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 132

Military service age and obligation [time series]

17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription suspended (2012)

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 25.32% (male 367,176/female 338,883) | 15-24 years: 15.21% (male 233,306/female 190,903) | 25-54 years: 52.32% (male 924,103/female 534,769) | 55-64 years: 4.82% (male 76,707/female 57,663) | 65 years and over: 2.33% (male 30,681/female 34,343) (2015 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

19.91 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]

2.2% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 120

Death rate [time series]

2.18 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 223

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: 32.1% | youth dependency ratio: 29.5% | elderly dependency ratio: 2.6% | potential support ratio: 38.4% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source [time series]

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

3.8% of GDP (2006) | country comparison to the world: 116

Ethnic groups [time series]

Kuwaiti 31.3%, other Arab 27.9%, Asian 37.8%, African 1.9%, other 1.1% (includes European, North American, South American, and Australian) (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]

2.9% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 187

Hospital bed density [time series]

2.2 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 7.31 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 7.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Languages [time series]

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 77.82 years | male: 76.51 years | female: 79.19 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 96.3% | male: 96.5% | female: 95.8% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population [time series]

KUWAIT (capital) 2.779 million (2015)

Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Median age [time series]

total: 29 years | male: 30.2 years | female: 27 years (2015 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Kuwaiti(s) | adjective: Kuwaiti

Net migration rate [time series]

-1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]

38.3% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 10

Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]

1.79 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population [time series]

2,788,534 | note: Kuwait's Public Authority for Civil Information estimates the country's total population to be 3,996,899 for 2014, with immigrants accounting for almost 69% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Population growth rate [time series]

1.62% | note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Religions [time series]

Muslim (official) 76.7%, Christian 17.3%, other and unspecified 5.9% | note: represents the total population; about 69% of the population consists of immigrants (2013 est.)

Sanitation facility access [time series]

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.48 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 80

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) (Unemployment, youth ages 15-24) [time series]

total: 14.55% | male: N/A | female: N/A (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 98.3% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.63% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

stateless persons: 93,000 (2014); note - Kuwait's 1959 Nationality Law defined citizens as persons who settled in the country before 1920 and who had maintained normal residence since then; one-third of the population, descendants of Bedouin tribes, missed the window of opportunity to register for nationality rights after Kuwait became independent in 1961 and were classified as bidun (meaning without); since the 1980s Kuwait's bidun have progressively lost their rights, including opportunities for employment and education, amid official claims that they are nationals of other countries who have destroyed their identification documents in hopes of gaining Kuwaiti citizenship; Kuwaiti authorities have delayed processing citizenship applications and labeled biduns as "illegal residents," denying them access to civil documentation, such as birth and marriage certificates

Trafficking in persons [time series]

current situation: Kuwait is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser degree, forced prostitution; men and women migrate from India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran, Jordan, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Lebanon, and Kenya to work in Kuwait, most of them in the domestic service, construction, and sanitation sectors; although most of these migrants enter Kuwait voluntarily, upon arrival some are subjected to conditions of forced labor by their sponsors and labor agents, including nonpayment of wages, long working hours without rest, deprivation of food, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and restrictions on movement, such as withholding passports or confinement to the workplace | tier rating: Tier 3 - Kuwait does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making sufficient efforts to do so; no efforts were made to prosecute or convict trafficking offenders using the 2013 anti-trafficking law or other laws addressing trafficking crimes; victim protection measures remained weak particularly due to a lack of proactive victim identification procedures and non-enforcement of the law prohibiting sponsors from withholding workers’ passports; no system was developed to refer victims to protective services; the government initiated investigations of companies that brought in large numbers of unskilled foreign workers under false promises of work and that illegally sold visas (2014)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

7 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 168

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 4 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 3 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 2 (2013)

Heliports [time series]

4 (2013)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 34 | by type: bulk carrier 2, carrier 3, container 6, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 19 | registered in other countries: 45 (Bahamas 1, Bahrain 5, Comoros 1, Libya 1, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 12, Qatar 6, Saudi Arabia 4, UAE 10) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 82

Pipelines [time series]

gas 261 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2013)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

major seaport(s): Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi

Roadways [time series]

total: 6,608 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 149