Kuwait: Gas Half Full

Kuwait: Gas Half Full

Kuwait is enjoying high hydrocarbon prices, but the lack of reforms weighs heavily on the oil-rentier’s economic outlook.

 
 
Source
Central bank

Central Bank of Kuwait

International Reserves

USD 40.3 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 141.1 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Intl$ 306.4 billion (2018, estimate)

Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
6% 2.5% -7.1% -2.4% 9.6% 6.6% 1.2%
2014 2015 2016 2017* 2018*    
0.5% 0.6% 2.9% -3.5% 1.7%    

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

USD 30,839.2 (2018, estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

Intl$ 67,000.2 (2018, estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2019*
0.36% 0.20% 0.23% 0.25% 0.23%

*Estimate

 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 0.4% 
  • industry: 58.7% 
  • services: 40.9%

(2017 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

Inflation
2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
3.7% 3.5% 1.5% 0.6% 1.5%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2015* 2016* 2017* 2018* 2019*
1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3%

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
4.7% 10% 20.7% 14.7% 15.2%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
5.6% 0.3% 6.3% 8.7% 6.7%

*Estimate

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: AA

Moody's: Aa2

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
Largest companies

National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Finance House, Zain, Kuwait Projects

 
 
Source
Current account balance

USD 20.4 billion (2018 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

14.4 % (2018 estimate)

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

50.4% (2017)

Shares in world total merchandising export

0.37% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export

0.13% (2018)

Total exports

USD 85.3 billion (2018 estimate)

Export commodities

Oil and refined products, fertilizers

Total imports

USD 66.5 billion (2018 estimate)

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Exports - major partners

South Korea 18.3%, China 17.4%, Japan 11.5%, India 11.2%, Singapore 6.3%, US 5.7%(2017)

Imports - major partners

China 13.5%, US 13.3%, UAE 9.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.8%, Germany 5.4%, Japan 5%, India 4.7%, Italy 4.5% (2017)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 149 million USD 348 million USD 346 million
FDI outflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 4,528 million USD 9,013 million USD 3,751 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
USD 729.3 million USD 376.3 million USD 145.5 million USD -4.5 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

83 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 82 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 68 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 66 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 45 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 119 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 51 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 6 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 162 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 74 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 115 out of 190 countries

Global competitiveness ranking

46 out of 141 countries

​(2019)

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 90 / Score: 60.8 (Moderately free)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+3

Total area

17,818 sq km

Capital

Kuwait City

Currency

Kuwaiti dinars (KD)

Government type

Constitutional monarchy

Languages

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Religions

Muslim (official) 74.6%, Christian 18.2%, other and unspecified 7.2% (2013 est.)

Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015 2020*
2.13 million 2.22 million 3.58 million 4.18 million 4.83 million

*Estimate

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2015
74.9% 94.8% 99% 100%
Population median age

29.4 years

Population growth rate

1.38% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

78.3 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 96% 
Male: 96.7% 
Female: 94.8%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2017 est.)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

N/A

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

Freedom House rating

Partly Free
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 5 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 12.5% Mobile: 178.6% (2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

99.6 % (2018)

Mercer Cost of living index

Kuwait City: 119th (2019)

CO2 emissions

25.85 metric tons per capita (2014)

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