Kuwait Population: 2,695,316
29 VISITORS FROM HERE!«  Previous Country | Next Country  » Back to Flag Counter Overview |  |
| Background | |
| 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-December 2012, Kuwait witnessed unprecedented protests in response to the Amir's changes to the electoral law by decree reducing the number of votes per person from four to one. The opposition, led by a coalition of Sunni Islamists, tribalists, some liberals, and myriad youth groups, boycotted the December 2012 legislative election, resulting in a historic number of Shia candidates winning seats. Since 2006, the Amir has dissolved the National Assembly on five occasions (the Constitutional Court annulled the Assembly once in June 2012) and reshuffled the cabinet 12 times, usually citing political stagnation and gridlock between the legislature and the government. |
 |
| |
| Geography | |
| Strategic location at head of Persian Gulf | |
| Location: | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 29 30 N, 45 45 E |
| Area: | total: 17,818 sq km land: 17,818 sq km water: 0 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than New Jersey |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 462 km border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km |
| Coastline: | 499 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm |
| Climate: | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters |
| Terrain: | flat to slightly undulating desert plain |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation 306 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas |
| Land use: | arable land: 0.84% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 98.99% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 100 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | 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 |
| Current Environment Issues: | limited natural freshwater resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification |
| International Environment Agreements: | 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 |
| ^Back to Top | |
| People | |
| Population: | 2,695,316 (July 2013 est.) note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 25.6% (male 358,415/female 330,467) 15-24 years: 15.4% (male 228,147/female 187,035) 25-54 years: 52.3% (male 896,693/female 514,196) 55-64 years: 4.5% (male 70,863/female 51,660) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 27,995/female 29,845) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 28.6 years male: 29.9 years female: 26.4 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.883% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 20.96 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 2.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | 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.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.28 years male: 76.09 years female: 78.51 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.56 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti |
| Ethnic groups: | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% |
| Religions: | Muslim (official) 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15% |
| Languages: | Arabic (official), English widely spoken |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 94.4% female: 91% (2005 census) |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt |
| Government type: | constitutional emirate |
| Capital: | name: Kuwait City geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir |
| Independence: | 19 June 1961 (from the UK) |
| National holiday: | National Day, 25 February (1950) |
| Constitution: | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system consisting of English common law, French civil law, and Islamic religious law |
| Suffrage: | 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 |
| Executive branch: | 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 |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (65 seats - 50 members elected by popular vote plus 16 cabinet ministers, one of whom is also an elected MP, 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 - NA; seats won - Shia 17, collection of mostly new tribalist and independent candidates 33 |
| Judicial branch: | Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | none; while the formation of political parties is not permitted, they are not forbidden by law |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | other: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups |
| International organization participation: | 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | 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 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | 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 |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Economy | |
| 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. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $165.9 billion (2012 est.) $156 billion (2011 est.) $144.3 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $174.6 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 6.3% (2012 est.) 8.2% (2011 est.) 2.5% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $43,800 (2012 est.) $42,400 (2011 est.) $40,300 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 0.2% industry: 42.3% services: 57.5% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.304 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 60% of the labor force (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
| Unemployment rate: | 2.2% (2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (2012 est.) 4.7% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 15.3% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $106.9 billion expenditures: $69.18 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 7.1% of GDP (2012 est.) 7.5% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | fish |
| Industries: | petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 8.7% (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 51.32 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 51 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 43.41 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 11.73 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 12.62 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 890 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 1.798 trillion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $73.26 billion (2012 est.) $70.78 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $109.4 billion (2012 est.) $104.3 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | oil and refined products, fertilizers |
| Exports - partners: | South Korea 17.7%, India 15.3%, Japan 13.7%, China 9.6%, US 8.4% (2011) |
| Imports: | $24.1 billion (2012 est.) $21.96 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing |
| Imports - partners: | 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) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $29.26 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $25.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $28.21 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $29.87 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $3.194 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $2.764 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $57.97 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $48.39 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $100.9 billion (31 December 2011) $119.6 billion (31 December 2010) $95.94 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2801 (2012 est.) 0.276 (2011 est.) 0.2866 (2010 est.) 0.2877 (2009) 0.2679 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 514,700 (2011) country comparison to the world: 98 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 4.935 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | 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) (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .kw |
| Internet hosts: | 2,771 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 1.1 million (2009) |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 7 (2012) country comparison to the world: 168 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 4 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 5,749 km paved: 4,887 km unpaved: 862 km (2004) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 34 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) |
| Ports and terminals: | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Military | |
| Military branches: | 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) (2013) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 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) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,002,480 females age 16-49: 616,958 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 840,912 females age 16-49: 523,206 (2010 est.) |
| ^Back to Top | |
«
Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter OverviewSource: CIA - The World Factbook