Kuwait: Gross national expenditure (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Kuwait's gross national expenditure (% of GDP) rose 1.85 percentage points on 2023 (from 80.63% to 82.48%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.53 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.8 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 97.96 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 94.85 percentage points in 1992. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.24 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 54% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Kuwait had the 36th highest value of the 37 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Kuwait in the 2024 ranking

• Iraq — 32nd of 37: 87.73%
• Zambia — 33rd of 37: 84.5%
• Oman — 34th of 37: 82.71%
• Bahrain — 36th of 37: 82.29%
• Bermuda — 37th of 37: 66.06%

What this measures

Gross national expenditure is the sum of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, and gross capital formation. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

All 60 values

Gross national expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 105.31% (2025)
• Bahrain — 82.29% (2024)
• Djibouti — 85.31% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 111.69% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 108.73% (2025)
• Iraq — 87.73% (2024)
• Israel — 97.87% (2025)
• Lebanon — 135.6% (2024)
• Libya — 77.48% (2025)
• Malta — 80.8% (2025)
• Morocco

More economic policy & debt data for Kuwait

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$51.74 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$40.65 billion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$157.21 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 48.18 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$32,312 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 9,902 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$193.99 billion (2024)
• GNI (current LCU) — 59.49 billion (2024)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 12,148 (2024)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$41.5 billion (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Kuwait's gross national expenditure (% of GDP)?

82.48% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1965?

It is up 27.07 percentage points from 55.41% in 1965. The highest value was 211.09% in 1991 and the lowest 28.88% in 1974.

How does Kuwait rank?

36th highest of 37 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in gross national expenditure (% of GDP) unusual for Kuwait?

In 2024, Kuwait's gross national expenditure (% of GDP) rose 1.85 percentage points on 2023 (from 80.63% to 82.48%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.53 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.8 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.DAB.TOTL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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