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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 are 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: 2.289 million | percent of population: 82.1% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

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) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

total subscriptions: 480,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 8.305 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 298 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $53.07 billion | expenditures: $68.01 billion (2015 est.)

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

-12.4% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 206

Central bank discount rate [time series]

1.25% (31 December 2010) | 3% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 122

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

4.3% (31 December 2015 est.) | 4.3% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Current account balance [time series]

$13.89 billion (2015 est.) | $53.8 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Debt - external [time series]

$36.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $35.26 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

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 90% of government income. | In 2015, Kuwait, for the first time in 15 years, realized a budget deficit after decades of high oil prices. Kuwaiti authorities have tried to reduce the deficit by decreasing spending on subsidies for the local population, but with limited success. 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 crowds out private employment of Kuwaiti nationals, 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.

Exchange rates [time series]

Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - | 0.3009 (2015 est.) | 0.2845 (2014 est.) | 0.2845 (2013 est.) | 0.28 (2012 est.) | 0.276 (2011 est.)

Exports [time series]

$55.32 billion (2015 est.) | $104.5 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Exports - commodities [time series]

oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners [time series]

South Korea 14.5%, China 12.1%, India 12.1%, Japan 10.4%, US 7.6%, Pakistan 5.9%, Singapore 4.3% (2015)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April - 31 March

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$120.7 billion (2015 est.)

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

$288.4 billion (2015 est.) | $285.8 billion (2014 est.) | $285.7 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 55

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

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

agriculture: 0.4% | industry: 59.7% | services: 39.9% (2015 est.)

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

$70,200 (2015 est.) | $71,500 (2014 est.) | $73,500 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 10

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

0.9% (2015 est.) | 0% (2014 est.) | 1% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Gross national saving [time series]

30.3% of GDP (2015 est.) | 49.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | 53.8% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$27.34 billion (2015 est.) | $26.99 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Imports - commodities [time series]

food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Imports - partners [time series]

China 13.2%, US 9.6%, Saudi Arabia 7.7%, Japan 6.5%, Germany 5.1%, France 4.3%, India 4.2% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-1.7% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3.3% (2015 est.) | 2.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Labor force [time series]

2.473 million | note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 60% of the labor force (2015 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 est.) | $119.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 40

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Public debt [time series]

10.5% of GDP (2015 est.) | 6.6% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$28.37 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $32.22 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Stock of broad money [time series]

$114.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $116 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 52

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$69.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $64.19 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 38

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

$12.16 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $11.87 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$98.46 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $96.61 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Stock of narrow money [time series]

$30.95 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $32.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Taxes and other revenues [time series]

44% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

Unemployment rate [time series]

3% (2015 est.) | 3% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Energy

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

107 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Crude oil - exports [time series]

1.711 million bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Crude oil - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Crude oil - production [time series]

2.562 million bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

104 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 6

Electricity - consumption [time series]

54 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

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]

16 million kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Electricity - production [time series]

61 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Electricity access [time series]

population without electricity: 56,655 | electrification - total population: 98% | electrification - urban areas: 98% | electrification - rural areas: 93% (2012)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

18.49 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 40

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

Natural gas - imports [time series]

3.46 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Natural gas - production [time series]

15.03 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

1.784 trillion cu m (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 21

Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]

453,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]

678,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]

11,900 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Refined petroleum products - production [time series]

890,900 bbl/day (2013 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 [time series]

mean elevation: 108 m | elevation extremes: 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

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]

105 sq km (2012)

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

Population distribution (Population - distribution) [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

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 (2016)

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 A. 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 | FAX: [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 monarchy

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 on 26 November 2016) | 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 and Security

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: 25.18% (male 371,021/female 342,362) | 15-24 years: 15.16% (male 236,012/female 193,303) | 25-54 years: 52.28% (male 936,604/female 544,378) | 55-64 years: 4.95% (male 79,551/female 60,602) | 65 years and over: 2.43% (male 32,096/female 36,847) (2016 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

19.6 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

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

3% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 120

Death rate [time series]

2.2 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 224

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]

3% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 187

Hospital bed density [time series]

2.2 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Languages [time series]

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 78 years | male: 76.6 years | female: 79.4 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

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: 29.2 years | male: 30.3 years | female: 27.2 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Nationality [time series]

noun: Kuwaiti(s) | adjective: Kuwaiti

Net migration rate [time series]

-2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 167

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]

2,832,776 (July 2016 est.) | note: Kuwait's Public Authority for Civil Information estimates the country's total population to be 4,183,658 for 2015, with immigrants accounting more than 69% | country comparison to the world: 141

Population distribution [time series]

Population growth rate [time series]

1.53% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

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]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 13 years | male: 12 years | female: 14 years (2013)

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.44 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 80

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

total: 14.6% | 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 (2015); 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 South and Southeast Asia, Egypt, the Middle East, and increasingly Africa 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 debt bondage; Kuwait’s sponsorship law restricts workers’ movements and penalizes them for running away from abusive workplaces, making domestic workers particularly vulnerable to forced labor in private homes | 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; although investigations into visa fraud rings lead to the referral of hundreds of people for prosecution, including complicit officials, the government has not prosecuted or convicted any suspected traffickers; authorities made no effort to enforce the prohibition against withholding workers’ passports, as mandated under Kuwaiti law; punishment of forced labor cases was limited to shutting down labor recruitment firms, assessing fines, and ordering the return of withheld passports and the paying of back-wages; the government made progress in victims’ protection by opening a high-capacity shelter for runaway domestic workers but still lacks formal procedures to identify and refer victims to care services (2015)

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 | under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix [time series]

9K (2016)

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

National air transport system [time series]

number of registered air carriers: 3 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 31 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 3,655,366 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 275,777,666 mt-km (2015)

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