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Introduction | Kuwait

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.

Geography | Kuwait

Location: | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: | 29 30 N, 45 45 E
Map references: | Middle East
Area: | total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: | 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 location 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: | 130 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: | 0.02 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | total: 0.44 cu km/yr (45%/2%/52%) per capita: 164 cu m/yr (2000)
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
Environment - current issues: | limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
Environment - international 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
Geography - note: | strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

People | Kuwait

Population: | 2,596,799 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 26.6% (male 351,057/female 338,634) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,172,460/female 659,927) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 46,770/female 27,951) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 26.1 years male: 28 years female: 22.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | 3.591% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 21.9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 2.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 16.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.78 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.67 male(s)/female total population: 1.53 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 9.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.53 years male: 76.38 years female: 78.73 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.12% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
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 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 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)

Government | Kuwait

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 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 UK)
National holiday: | National Day, 25 February (1950)
Constitution: | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Legal system: | civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: | NA years of age; universal (adult); note - males in the military or police are not allowed to vote; adult females were allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005; 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 head of government: Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 3 April 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Faysal al-HAJJI (since 5 April 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Amir 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 (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; all cabinet ministers are also ex officio voting members of the National Assembly) elections: last held 17 May 2008 (next election to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats by bloc - Sunni 21, Islamic Salafi Alliance 10, Liberals 7, Shiites 5, Popular Action Bloc 4, Islamic Constitutional Movement 3
Judicial branch: | High Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: | none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal but is not forbidden by law
Political pressure groups and leaders: | a number of political groups act as de facto parties; several legislative blocs operate in the National Assembly: tribal groups, merchants, Shia activists, Islamists, secular liberals and pro-government deputies; in mid-2006, a coalition of Islamists, liberals, and Shia campaigned successfully for electoral reform to reduce corruption
International organization participation: | ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, 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) 966-0517
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah K. JONES embassy: Bayan 36302, Area 14, 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] 259-1001 FAX: [965] 538-0282
Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I

Economy | Kuwait

Economy - overview: | Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 104 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. High oil prices in recent years have helped build Kuwait's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. As a result of this positive fiscal situation, the need for economic reforms is less urgent and the government has not earnestly pushed through new initiatives. Despite its vast oil reserves, Kuwait experienced power outages during the summer months in 2006 and 2007 because demand exceeded power generating capacity. Power outages are likely to worsen, given its high population growth rates, unless the government can increase generating capacity. In May 2007 Kuwait changed its currency peg from the US dollar to a basket of currencies in order to curb inflation and to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $130.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $111.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 4.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $39,300 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 0.3% industry: 51.5% services: 48.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force: | 2.093 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2007 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): | 5% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 21.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $84.76 billion expenditures: $36.8 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt: | 7.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products: | practically no crops; fish
Industries: | petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: | 2.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production: | 41.11 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 36.28 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production: | 2.669 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 333,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: | 2.2 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 2,611 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves: | 101.5 billion bbl (2007 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 11.8 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 11.8 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 1.521 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: | $52.73 billion (2007 est.)
Exports: | $61.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities: | oil and refined products, fertilizers
Exports - partners: | Japan 20.4%, South Korea 16.2%, Taiwan 10.8%, Singapore 9.7%, US 9%, Netherlands 5.3%, China 4.1% (2006)
Imports: | $19.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
Imports - partners: | US 14.1%, Japan 7.8%, Germany 7.7%, Saudi Arabia 6.8%, China 5.7%, UK 5.4%, Italy 4.6% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | $2.6 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $16.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external: | $34.67 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $963 million (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $19.88 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $128.9 billion (2006)
Currency (code): | Kuwaiti dinar (KD)
Currency code: | KWD
Exchange rates: | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003)
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March

Communications | Kuwait

Telephones - main lines in use: | 510,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2.536 million (2006)
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 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)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: | 1.175 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)
Televisions: | 875,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .kw
Internet hosts: | 2,013 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2000)
Internet users: | 816,700 (2006)

Transportation | Kuwait

Airports: | 7 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports: | 4 (2007)
Pipelines: | gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2007)
Roadways: | total: 5,749 km paved: 4,887 km unpaved: 862 km (2004)
Merchant marine: | total: 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,195,831 GRT/3,566,308 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, petroleum tanker 21 registered in other countries: 28 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 1, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 6, UAE 8) (2007)
Ports and terminals: | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi

Military | Kuwait

Military branches: | Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007)
Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 40 with 1 month annual training; women have served in police forces since 1999 (2006)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,032,408 females age 16-49: 568,657 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 892,816 females age 16-49: 500,540 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: | males age 16-49: 17,737 females age 16-49: 18,519 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 5.3% (2006)

Transnational Issues | Kuwait

Disputes - international: | Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf
Trafficking in persons: | current situation: Kuwait is a destination country for men and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement; Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq; some of these workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Iraq; in past years, Kuwait was also a destination country for children exploited as camel jockeys, but this form of trafficking appears to have ceased tier rating: Tier 3 - insufficient efforts in 2006 to prosecute and punish abusive employers and those who traffic women for sexual exploitation; the government failed for the third year in a row to live up to promises to provide shelter and protective services for victims of involuntary domestic servitude and other forms of trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 19 June, 2008