Kuwait — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Kuwait: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Kuwait is in Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It covers 17,818 sq km. Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain. Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters.
| Capital | Kuwait City |
|---|---|
| Population | 3,172,511 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $225.947 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $45,400 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -2.6% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.9% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 2.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 9.9% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $89.71 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $61.521 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 79.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 30.4 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 100% of total population (2023) |
| Government | constitutional monarchy (emirate) |
| Independence | 19 June 1961 (from the UK) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), English widely spoken |
Kuwait’s GDP is $225.947 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $160.227 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -2.6% (2024 est.). See where Kuwait ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The quarter passed without decisive turns. Governance continued, markets functioned, and the score reflects that uneventfulness.
For countries like this, the real story is always the slow one — and this quarter added no new chapter to it.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 10% of GDP — room to maneuver; inflation tamed at 2.9%
- What drags it down: only 2% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Oil, Natural gas.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 97.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 389.848 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 525.0 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 87.7 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 106,400 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 51.1%, Oil 46.7%, Wind 2.0%, Solar 0.2% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 2.2% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 637.2 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $89.71 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $61.521 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $28.2 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Mishal Al-Ahmad — Emir. Amir MISHAL al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 16 December 2023)
Kuwait maintains 80 embassies and 15 consulates abroad, hosts 112 foreign diplomatic missions. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 80 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 15 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 112 |
Source: Outbound: Consular Affairs Center (Yonsei Univ.), diplomatic & consular networks database, March 2026 report (Zenodo). Hosted: counted from Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Kuwait' embassy list (crawled 2026-09-28).
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 499 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 6 + 20 heliports (registration prefix 9K) |
| Major seaports | Al Kuwayt, Doha Harbor, Mina Abd Allah, Mina Al Ahmadi, Mina Ash Shuaybah, Mina Az Zawr |
| Pipelines | 261 km gas, 540 km oil, 57 km refined products (2013) |
Major airports
Kuwait International Airport (KWI) — Kuwait City.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | constitutional monarchy |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2024 — parliamentary; 2024-04-04; winner: opposition-dominated assembly (individuals; no parties) (n/a — party-less parliament); No functioning parliament since May 2024; IPU Parline confirms chamber suspended IPU Parline / Carnegie Endowment |
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Kuwait.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Kuwait — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Kuwait's power score?
Kuwait has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.