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Kuwait

State of Kuwait · Western Asia

Position of Kuwait on a world map

At a glance

CapitalKuwait City
Most common first languageArabic55% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageArabic
CurrencyKuwaiti dinar
Drives on theright
Highest pointMutla Ridge140 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfuel91% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports15.2%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.kw

Facts about Kuwait

Kuwait’s currency is the world's highest-valued unit, worth the most against the US dollar.

Source: litefinance.org · checked 2026-08-08

Kuwait established the world's first sovereign wealth fund.

Source: bloomberg.com · checked 2026-08-08

Kuwait by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.4.87m (2025)127th
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$157bn (2025)59th
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.17.8k km² (2023)154th
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$7.79bn (2024)35th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$89.7bn (2024)52nd
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.8.11m (2023)99th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.62 km² (2023)190th
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.1.50k km² (2023)160th
of 206
COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.116 Mt (2024)39th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.4.87m (2025)99th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.84.6 years (2024)4th
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$32,312 (2025)50th
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.100.0% (2025)2nd
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.2.4% (2025)111th
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.2.2% (2025)166th
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.100.0% (2025)6th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.56 (2024)138th
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.4.84% of GDP (2024)12th
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.94.0% of GDP (2024)71st
of 183
COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.23.83 t (2024)3rd
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.852 (2023)52nd
of 193

Land borders

🇮🇶 Iraq🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

Across the water

Close by sea, with no shared land border.

🇮🇷 Iran

Kuwait shares these with other countries

Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has arabic as its most common first language 17Has arabic as an official language 25Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of opec 13Mainly exports fuel 27Is in western asia 17

Kuwait in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Kuwait.

Which country's currency is the world's highest-valued unit, worth the most against the US dollar?

The Kuwaiti dinar is pegged to an undisclosed basket of currencies rather than floated, letting the central bank shield the economy from swings in any single currency while oil revenue keeps demand for dinars high. A 'strong' currency isn't necessarily a productive one — it mostly reflects a tiny population sitting on huge energy exports. source

Which country established the world's first sovereign wealth fund?

The Kuwait Investment Authority was founded in 1953, eight years before Kuwait even gained independence, explicitly to turn finite oil beneath the ground into a permanent income stream. It became the template every later fund, including Norway's, was built to copy. source

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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