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Central Intelligence Agency
The Work of a Nation. The Center of Intelligence
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| page last updated on January 30, 2013 |
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(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)
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Click flag or map to enlarge 
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Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. 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 has ruled since returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive. The country witnessed the historic election in May 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 and the prime minister's rivals within the ruling family - rallied repeatedly in 2011 for an end to corruption and the ouster of the prime minister and his cabinet. Opposition legislators forced the prime minister to resign in late 2011. In October and November 2012, Kuwait witnessed unprecedented protests in response to the Amir's changes to the electoral law reducing the number of votes per person from four to one. The oppostion, led by a coalition of Sunni Islamists, tribalists, some liberals, and a myriad of youth groups, boycotted the Decemeber 2012 legislative election, resulting in a historic number of seats won by Shia candidates. Since 2006, the Amir has dissolved the National Assembly on five occasions (the Constitutional Court dissolved the Assembly once in June 2012) and reshuflled the cabinet 12 times, usually citing political stagnation and gridlock between the legislature and the government.
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Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
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29 30 N, 45 45 E
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total: 17,818 sq km
country comparison to the world: 158
land:
17,818 sq km
water:
0 sq km
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slightly smaller than New Jersey
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total: 462 km
border countries:
Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
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499 km
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territorial sea: 12 nm
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dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
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flat to slightly undulating desert plain
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point:
unnamed elevation 306 m
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petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
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arable land: 0.84%
permanent crops:
0.17%
other:
98.99% (2005)
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100 sq km (2003)
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0.02 cu km (1997)
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total: 0.44 cu km/yr (45%/2%/52%)
per capita:
164 cu m/yr (2000)
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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
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limited natural freshwater resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
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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
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strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
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| People and Society ::Kuwait |
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noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective:
Kuwaiti
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Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
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Arabic (official), English widely spoken
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Muslim (official) 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%
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2,646,314 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
note:
includes 1,291,354 non-nationals
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0-14 years: 25.7% (male 353,611/ female 326,035)
15-64 years:
72.3% (male 1,175,185/ female 736,940)
65 years and over:
2.1% (male 26,706/ female 27,837) (2012 est.)
population pyramid: 
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total: 28.6 years
male:
29.9 years
female:
26.4 years (2012 est.)
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1.883%
country comparison to the world: 63
note:
this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2012 est.)
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20.96 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
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2.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
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urban population: 98% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:
2.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
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KUWAIT (capital) 2.23 million (2009)
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.6 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.96 male(s)/female
total population:
1.43 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
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14 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 145
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total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 158
male:
7.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
8.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
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total population: 77.28 years
country comparison to the world: 67
male:
76.09 years
female:
78.51 years (2012 est.)
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2.6 children born/woman (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
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6.8% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 87
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1.793 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
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improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
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0.1% (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
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NA (2007 est.)
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NA
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28.8% (2000)
country comparison to the world: 9
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3.8% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 111
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
93.3%
male:
94.4%
female:
91% (2005 census)
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total: 12 years
male:
12 years
female:
13 years (2006)
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conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form:
Kuwait
local long form:
Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form:
Al Kuwayt
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constitutional emirate
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name: Kuwait City
geographic coordinates:
29 22 N, 47 58 E
time difference:
UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir
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19 June 1961 (from the UK)
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National Day, 25 February (1950)
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approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
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mixed legal system consisting of English common law, French civil law, and Islamic religious law
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has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
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21 years of age; universal; note - males in the military or police are by law not allowed to vote; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
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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 AHMAD al-Hamud al-Jabir al-Sabah; Deputy Prime Ministers AHMAD AL-KHALID al-Hamad al-Sabah, SABAH AL-KHALID al-Hamad al-Sabah, Mustafa al-Jassim al-SHAMALI
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir; new cabinet formed in February 2012
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections:
none; the amir is hereditary; the amir appoints the prime minister and deputy prime ministers
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unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (66 seats - 50 members elected by popular vote plus 16 cabinet ministers appointed by the prime minister as ex officio voting members; elected members serve four-year terms); note - the National Assembly was dissolved on 7 October 2012
elections:
last held on 1 December 2012 (next to be held in 2016)
election results:
percent of vote by bloc - Shia 17, collection of mostly new tribalist and independent candidates 33
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High Court of Appeal
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none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal but is not forbidden by law
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other: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups
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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
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chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah
chancery:
2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 966-0702
FAX:
[1] (202) 364-2868
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles
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chief of mission: Ambassador Matthew H. TUELLER
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] 2538-0282
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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
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golden falcon
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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
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Kuwait has a geographically small, but wealthy, relatively open economy with crude oil reserves of about 102 billion barrels - about 7% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 95% of government income. Kuwaiti officials have committed to increasing oil production to 4 million barrels per day by 2020. The rise in global oil prices throughout 2011 and 2012 is reviving government consumption and economic growth. Kuwait has experienced a 20% increase in government budget revenue, which has led to higher budget expenditures, particularly wage hikes for many public sector employees. Kuwait has done little to diversify its economy, in part, because of this positive fiscal situation, and, in part, due to the poor business climate and the historically acrimonious relationship between the National Assembly and the executive branch, which has stymied most movement on economic reforms. In 2010, Kuwait passed an economic development plan that pledges to spend up to $130 billion over five years to diversify the economy away from oil, attract more investment, and boost private sector participation in the economy.
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$165.9 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
$156 billion (2011 est.)
$144.3 billion (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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$174.6 billion (2012 est.)
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6.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
8.2% (2011 est.)
2.5% (2010 est.)
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$43,800 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
$42,400 (2011 est.)
$40,300 (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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agriculture: 0.2%
industry:
42.3%
services:
57.5% (2012 est.)
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2.304 million
country comparison to the world: 115
note:
non-Kuwaitis represent about 60% of the labor force (2012 est.)
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agriculture: NA%
industry:
NA%
services:
NA%
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2.2% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
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NA%
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%:
NA%
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15.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
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revenues: $106.9 billion
expenditures:
$69.18 billion (2012 est.)
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61.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
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21.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
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7.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
7.5% of GDP (2011 est.)
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3.2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
4.7% (2011 est.)
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1.25% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
3% (31 December 2009 est.)
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5.4% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
5.2% (31 December 2011 est.)
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$28.46 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
$23.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$109.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
$99.89 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$93.11 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
$91.48 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$100.9 billion (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 39
$119.6 billion (31 December 2010)
$95.94 billion (31 December 2009)
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fish
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8.7% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
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$73.26 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
$70.78 billion (2011 est.)
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$109.4 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
$104.3 billion (2011 est.)
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oil and refined products, fertilizers
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South Korea 17.7%, India 15.3%, Japan 13.7%, China 9.6%, US 8.4% (2011)
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$24.1 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
$21.96 billion (2011 est.)
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food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
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US 12.4%, China 9.7%, Saudi Arabia 8.4%, South Korea 6.5%, India 6.4%, Japan 6.2%, Germany 5%, UAE 4.3% (2011)
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$29.26 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
$25.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$28.21 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
$29.87 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$3.194 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
$2.764 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$57.97 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
$48.39 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar -
0.2801 (2012 est.)
0.276 (2011 est.)
0.2866 (2010 est.)
0.2877 (2009)
0.2679 (2008)
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1 April - 31 March
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51.32 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
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43.41 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
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0 kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
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0 kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
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10.94 million kW (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
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100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
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2.682 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
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1.365 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
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0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
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101.5 billion bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
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902,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
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339,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
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717,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
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11.73 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
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12.62 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
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890 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
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1.798 trillion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
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81.33 million Mt (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
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514,700 (2011)
country comparison to the world: 98
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4.935 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 104
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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)
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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 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)
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.kw
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2,771 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 156
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1.1 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 96
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7 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 166
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total: 4
over 3,047 m:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2012)
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total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
under 914 m:
2 (2012)
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4 (2012)
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gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2010)
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total: 5,749 km
country comparison to the world: 150
paved:
4,887 km
unpaved:
862 km (2004)
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total: 34
country comparison to the world: 82
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)
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Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi
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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) (2012)
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18-30 years of age for compulsory and 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; women age 18-30 may be subject to compulsory military service; conscription suspended in 2001 (2009)
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males age 16-49: 1,002,480
females age 16-49:
616,958 (2010 est.)
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males age 16-49: 840,912
females age 16-49:
523,206 (2010 est.)
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male: 17,653
female:
16,232 (2010 est.)
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5.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 14
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| Transnational Issues ::Kuwait |
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Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf
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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 India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran, Jordan, Ethiopia, and Iraq 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 nonpayment of wages, long working hours without rest, deprivation of food, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and restrictions on movement, such as the withholding of passports or confinement to the workplace
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; the government did not enact its draft comprehensive anti-trafficking law; Kuwait's victim-protection measures remain weak, particularly due to its lack of proactive victim-identification procedures and continued reliance on the sponsorship system, which causes victims of trafficking to be punished for immigration violations rather than protected (2009)
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