Kuwait

• dry desert;
• intensely hot summers;
• short, cool winters

highest point:

3.6 km W. of Al-Salmi Border Post 300 m

lowest point:

Persian Gulf 0 m

mean elevation:

108 m

• densest settlement is along the Persian Gulf, particularly in Kuwait City and on Bubiyan Island;
• significant population threads extend south and west along highways that radiate from the capital, particularly in the southern half of the country

• 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

noun:

Kuwaiti(s)

adjective:

Kuwaiti

total:

30.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

31.1 years

female:

28.9 years

• densest settlement is along the Persian Gulf, particularly in Kuwait City and on Bubiyan Island;
• significant population threads extend south and west along highways that radiate from the capital, particularly in the southern half of the country

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.51 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.74 male(s)/female

total population:

1.36 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

7.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

6.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

79.6 years (2024 est.)

male:

78.1 years

female:

81.1 years

total:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

17.9% (2020 est.)

male:

33.5% (2020 est.)

female:

2.2% (2020 est.)

• limited natural freshwater resources;
• some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water;
• air and water pollution;
• desertification;
• loss of biodiversity

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Dumping-London Convention

• dry desert;
• intensely hot summers;
• short, cool winters

urban population:

100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

64.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

98.73 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

6.21 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

450 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

780 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

State of Kuwait

conventional short form:

Kuwait

local long form:

Dawlat al Kuwayt

local short form:

Al Kuwayt

etymology:

the name derives from the capital city, which is from Arabic "al-Kuwayt" a diminutive of "kut" meaning "fortress," possibly a reference to a small castle built on the current location of Kuwait City by the Beni Khaled tribe in the 17th century

name:

Kuwait City

geographic coordinates:

29 22 N, 47 58 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the name derives from Arabic "al-Kuwayt" a diminutive of "kut" meaning "fortress," possibly a reference to a small castle built on the current location of Kuwait City by the Beni Khaled tribe in the 17th century

history:

• approved and promulgated 11 November 1962;
• suspended 1976 to 1981 (4 articles);
• 1986 to 1991;
• May to July 1999

amendments:

• proposed by the amir or supported by at least one third of the National Assembly;
• passage requires two-thirds consent of the Assembly membership and promulgation by the amir;
• constitutional articles on the initiation, approval, and promulgation of general legislation cannot be amended

Note: on 10 May 2024, Amir Sheikh MISHAL al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly and suspended several articles of the constitution for up to four years

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Kuwait

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

not specified

chief of state:

Amir MISHAL al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 16 December 2023)

head of government:

Prime Minister AHMAD ABDULLAH Al-Ahmad al Sabah (since 15 May 2024)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by the amir

elections/appointments:

amir chosen from within the ruling family, confirmed by the National Assembly; prime minister appointed by the amir

highest court(s):

Constitutional Court (consists of 5 judges); Supreme Court or Court of Cassation (organized into several circuits, each with 5 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

all Kuwaiti judges appointed by the Amir upon recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council, a consultative body comprised of Kuwaiti judges and Ministry of Justice officials

subordinate courts:

• High Court of Appeal;
• Court of First Instance;
• Summary Court

chief of mission:

Ambassador AL-ZAIN Sabah Naser Saud Al-Sabah (since 19 April 2023)

chancery:

2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 966-0702

FAX:

[1] (202) 966-8468

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.kuwaitembassy.us/

consulate(s) general:

Beverly Hills (CA), New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires James HOLTSNIDER (since July 2021)

embassy:

P.O. Box 77, Safat 13001

mailing address:

6200 Kuwait Place, Washington DC 20521-6200

telephone:

[00] (965) 2259-1001

FAX:

[00] (965) 2538-0282

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://kw.usembassy.gov/

• 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

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

• small, high-income, oil-based Middle East economy;
• renewable energy proponent;
• regional finance and investment leader;
• maintains oldest sovereign wealth fund;
• emerging space and tourism industries;
• mid-way through 25-year development program

Fitch rating:

AA (2008)

Moody's rating:

A1 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2020)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

0.4% (2022 est.)

industry:

67% (2022 est.)

services:

43.6% (2022 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

15% (2023 est.)

male:

9.1% (2023 est.)

female:

29% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

19.2% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

0.1% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

consumption:

145,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

77,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

2.91 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

372,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

101.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

19.285 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

26.083 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

7.988 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

1.784 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• Kuwait’s telecom infrastructure is well developed, with a focus on mobile infrastructure and services;
• the telecom sector is important to the country’s economy, and this will become more pronounced in coming years as the economy is purposefully transitioned away from a dependence on oil and gas to one which is increasingly knowledge-based and focused on ICT and related services;
• the MNOs have focused investment on 5G networks, which support and promote the growth of data traffic;
• this in turn has been a catalyst for revenue growth in recent quarters;
• while Kuwait’s mobile sector shows considerable progress;
• the country’s fixed broadband system is the lowest in the region;
• the government has stepped up efforts to build up fixed broadband networks, and ultimately this sector offers a potential future growth opportunity;
• improvements to the fixed broadband infrastructure will help develop sectors such as e-commerce, along with smart infrastructure developments, and tech start-ups (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line subscriptions are nearly 13 per 100 and mobile-cellular stands at nearly 163 per 100 subscriptions (2021)

international:

• country code - 965;
• landing points for the FOG, GBICS, MENA, Kuwait-Iran, and FALCON submarine cables linking Africa, the Middle East, and Asia;
• 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) (2019)

• state-owned TV broadcaster operates 4 networks and a satellite channel;
• several private TV broadcasters have emerged;
• satellite TV available and pan-Arab TV stations are 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 (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 44

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

6,464,847 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

392.36 million (2018) mt-km

total:

5,749 km (201)

paved:

4,887 km

unpaved:

862 km (2018)

total ports:

6 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

2

small:

1

very small:

3

ports with oil terminals:

4

key ports:

Al Kuwayt, Doha Harbor, Mina Abd Allah, Mina Al Ahmadi, Mina Ash Shuaybah, Mina Az Zawr

stateless persons:

• 92,000 (2022);
• note - Kuwait's 1959 Nationality Law defined citizens as persons who settled in the country before 1920 and who had maintained normal residence since then;
• one-third of the population, descendants of Bedouin tribes, missed the window of opportunity to register for nationality rights after Kuwait became independent in 1961 and were classified as bidun (meaning "without");
• since the 1980s Kuwait's bidun have progressively lost their rights, including opportunities for employment and education, amid official claims that they are nationals of other countries who have destroyed their identification documents in hopes of gaining Kuwaiti citizenship;
• Kuwaiti authorities have delayed processing citizenship applications and labeled biduns as "illegal residents," denying them access to civil documentation, such as birth and marriage certificates

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — Kuwait does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but the government has devoted sufficient resources to a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute significant efforts to meet the minimum standards;
• therefore, Kuwait was granted a waiver per the Trafficking Victims Protection Act from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 and remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/kuwait/