Learn more about Encarta products!

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
Kuwait Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name State of Kuwait
Capital Kuwait City
Area 17,818 sq km
6,880 sq mi
Kuwait: Flag and Anthem
Kuwait: Flag and Anthem
Expand
People
Population 2,691,158 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 3.55 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 4,175,172 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 6,374,800 (2009 estimate)
Population density 151 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
391 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 96 percent (2003 estimate)
Share rural 4 percent (2003 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Kuwait City 1,222,000 (2003 estimate)
As Sālimīyah 130,215 (1995)
Jalīb ash Shuyūkh 102,178 (1995)
Hawalli 82,238 (1995)
Ethnic groups
Kuwaiti 45 percent
Other Arab 35 percent
Indian, Pakistani 9 percent
Iranian 4 percent
Other 7 percent
Languages
Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Religious affiliations
Sunni Muslim 45 percent
Shia Muslim 40 percent
Roman Catholic 9 percent
Hindu 3 percent
Nonreligious 1 percent
Other 2 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 77.7 years (2009 estimate)
Female 79 years (2009 estimate)
Male 76.5 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 9 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 93.9 percent (2007 estimate)
Female 92.2 percent (2007 estimate)
Male 94.9 percent (2007 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $112.1 billion (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $42,102 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 0.5 percent (2003)
Industry 51.1 percent (2003)
Services 48.5 percent (2003)
Monetary unit
1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD), consisting of 1,000 fil
Major trade partners for exports
Japan, South Korea, United States, Singapore, and Taiwan
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and United Kingdom
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft