Country Facts - Kuwait

The People

Nationality

Kuwaiti(s)

Ethnic Composition

Kuwaiti	45%
Other Arab	35%
South Asian	9%
Persian	4%
Other	7%

Religious Composition

Muslim	85%
Sunni	70%
Shi'a	30%
Christian, Hindu, and other	15%

Languages Spoken

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Education and Literacy

The government provides free education through postsecondary school. Literacy nationwide is 78.6 percent, of which, 82.2 percent of males are considered literate, and 74.9 percent of females are considered literate.

Labor Force

Total: 1.3 million (1998)
By occupation:

Services	80%
Industry	15%
Agriculture	5%

Note: 68% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998)

Geography

Land Mass Total

6,880 sq mi (17,820 sq km)

Land

6,880 sq mi (17,820 sq km)

Water

0 sq mi (0 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 287 mi (462 km)
Border countries: Iraq 149 mi (240 km), Saudi Arabia 137 mi (222 km)

Coastline

310 mi (499 km)

Maritime claim

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters.

Terrain

Flat to slightly undulating desert plain.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Persian Gulf 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: unnamed location 1,003 ft (306 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas.

Land use

Arable land	0%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	100%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April, which bring inordinate amounts of rain that 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 freshwater resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification.

Geography Note

Strategic location at head of Persian Gulf.

Demographics

Population

2,111,561 (July 2002)
Note: includes 1,159,913 non-nationals

Age structure

0-14 years:	28.3%	Male: 304,200	Female: 292,900
15-64 years:	69.2%	Male: 934,115	Female: 527,331
65 years and over:	2.5%	Male: 34,106	Female: 18,909

(2002)

Growth Rate

3.33% (2002)
Note: This rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates.

Life Expectancy

76.46 years (2002)
Female: 77.39 years
Male: 75.56 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$15,100 (2001)

Infant Mortality

10.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.04 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	1.8 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.52 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

13.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of 94 billion barrels - 10 percent of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90 percent of export revenues, and 75 percent of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75 percent of potable water must be distilled or imported. Higher oil prices put the FY99/00 budget into a $2 billion surplus. The FY00/01 budget covers only nine months because of a change in the fiscal year. The budget for FY01/02 envisioned higher expenditures for salaries, construction, and other general categories. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country. Kuwait grew by 3.9 percent in 2000 but then saw its real GDP decline by 1 percent in 2001 before regaining that loss in 2002. Non-oil aspects of the Kuwaiti GDP grew by 2.8 percent in 2001 and rose by close to 3.4 percent in 2002. This was supported by lower interest rates and an expansionary fiscal policy. The growth for 2003 in real GDP is projected at 0.8 percent due to tighter government expenditures and limited growth in oil production. The impact of a conflict in Iraq could be positive if the conflict is short and limited in scope. A broader and lengthier conflict will certainly put a severe drag on the Kuwaiti economy, even if the fighting does not spill over its borders.

Unemployment

1.8% (1996)

Inflation Rate

2.7% (2001)

Industries

Petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials, salt, construction.

Exports

US$16.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$7.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$30.9 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Japan 23%, US 14%, South Korea 13%, Singapore 7%, Netherlands 6%, Pakistan 6%, Indonesia 4%, UK 2% (2000)

Top Import Partners

US 12%, Japan 8%, UK 8%, Germany 7%, China 5%, France 4%, Australia 3%, Netherlands 2% (2000)

Top Exports

Oil and refined products, fertilizers

Top Imports

Food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing.

Debt - external

US$6.9 billion (2000)

Economic aid

US$27.6 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

April 1 to March 31

Business Workweek

	Saturday - Thursday (Islamic workweek)	Friday
Offices	8a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed
Retail	Winter hours: 8a.m. to 1p.m. and 4p.m. to 10p.m. Summer hours: 8a.m. to 1p.m. and 3p.m. to 6p.m.	Closed
Banks	8a.m. to noon. Commercial area bank branches offer extended hours Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday from 4:30p.m. to 6p.m.	Closed
Government	8a.m. to noon. Commercial area bank branches offer extended opening hours Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday from 4:30p.m. to 6p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
National Day	February 25	February 25	February 25
Liberation Day	February 26	February 26	February 26
Islamic New Year²	March 5	February 22	February 10
Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an Nabi)³	May 14	May 2	April 21
Ascent of the Prophet (Lailat al Miraj)*¹	September 24	September 12	September 1
Start of Ramadan*²	October 27	October 15	October 4
End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)*³	November 26	November 14	November 3

¹	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	The lunar Islamic Hijra calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons.
³	The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of the Islamic calendar.
*¹	The Ascent of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twenty-seventh day in the month of Rajab of the Islamic calendar.
*²	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*³	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press