Kuwait skyline at goldenhour

Kuwait Economy

Kuwait's Macroeconomic Analyses:

Nominal GDP of USD 164 billion in 2023.

Nominal GDP of USD 183 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 37,603 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 33,001 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 0.5% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 1.3% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Sector Analysis

In 2020, services accounted for 54% of overall GDP, manufacturing 7%, other industrial activity 39%, and agriculture 0%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 41% of GDP in 2019, government consumption 25%, fixed investment 25%, and net exports 9%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade

In 2020, manufactured products made up 6% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 93%, food 1%, ores and metals 0% and agricultural raw materials 0%, with other categories accounting for 0% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 75% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 0%, food 20%, ores and metals 2% and agricultural raw materials 0%, with other goods accounting for 3% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 100 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 28 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners
Economic growth

The economy recorded average annual growth of 0.7% in the decade to 2020. To read more about GDP growth in Kuwait, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy

Kuwait's fiscal deficit averaged 0.8% of GDP in the decade to 2020. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate averaged 2.5% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Kuwait's unemployment click here.

Inflation

Inflation averaged 2.6% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Kuwait inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy

Kuwait's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 3.50%, up from 2.00% a decade earlier. See our Kuwait monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate

From end-2012 to end-2022 the dinar stayed on the same level vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the dinar, click here.
GDP decreased by 1.5% year on year in Q2, an improvement from the 3.7% drop in Q1 and registering the best performance since Q1 2023. The oil sector experienced a marked—albeit softer—decline due to OPEC+ production cuts, while the non-oil sector saw accelerated growth that was driven by manufacturing, construction, utilities, and transport. In particular, manufacturing was boosted by the ramp-up of operations at the Al-Zour refinery. In Q3, the economy will have been weighed down by ongoing OPEC+ production cuts: Crude output fell in the quarter at a similar pace to Q2. However, an uptick in private credit and a surge in real estate sales point to solid non-oil activity. This two-speed panorama will be continuing in Q4 in light of the extension of OPEC+ output curbs through November.
Projections out to 2034.

50 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 21 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Kuwait in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 50 economic indicators for Kuwait from a panel of 21 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Kuwait economy. To download a sample report on the Kuwait's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Kuwait Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.8 4.9
GDP (USD bn) 141 111 148 184 164
GDP per capita (USD) 31,518 25,566 35,196 38,356 33,296
GDP (KWD bn) 42.8 34.0 44.8 56.3 50.3
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 2.5 -20.5 31.7 25.8 -10.7
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 2.6 -4.8 2.3 5.9 -3.6
Economic Growth (GDP Oil, ann. var. %) -1.0 -8.5 -0.9 12.1 -4.3
Domestic Demand (ann. var. %) 2.2 - - - -
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 2.4 -11.3 7.6 1.7 -
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 7.8 -2.3 9.1 0.3 -
Total Investment (ann. var. %) -8.4 -35.5 1.8 44.1 -
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) -8.5 -2.9 -2.3 13.3 -
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) -18.2 -26.4 3.9 33.2 -
Oil Production (mn barrels per day, aop) 2.69 2.44 2.41 2.70 2.59
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 2.2 3.5 2.9 2.2 2.1
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -9.2 -31.7 -6.7 11.4 -3.1
Public Debt (% of GDP) 11.6 11.7 8.7 2.9 -
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) -1.3 2.7 -7.4 6.5 1.0
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 1.1 2.1 3.4 4.0 3.6
Discount Rate (%, eop) 2.75 1.50 1.50 3.50 4.25
Exchange Rate (KWD per USD, eop) 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.31 0.31
Current Account Balance (USD bn) 32.6 22.1 34.9 63.1 51.4
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) 23.2 19.9 23.5 34.3 31.4
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) 35.3 15.4 40.5 71.9 51.1
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 64.7 40.1 68.4 100.3 84.1
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 29.4 24.8 27.9 28.4 33.0
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) -16.0 -38.0 70.4 46.6 -16.1
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) -4.0 -15.7 12.4 1.8 16.4
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.8 2.1
International Reserves (USD bn) 39.9 48.2 45.0 48.0 47.5
International Reserves (months of imports) 16.3 23.3 19.4 20.3 17.3

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