Kuwait: Oil rents (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Kuwait's oil rents (% of GDP) fell 11.07 percentage points on 2019 (from 38.66% to 27.58%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.17 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 23.14 percentage points in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 25.65 percentage points in 1991. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about 3.17 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 70% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Kuwait in the 2020 ranking

• Syrian Arab Republic — 2nd of 5: 4.02%
• Cuba — 3rd of 5: 0.22%
• Greenland — 4th of 5: 0%

What this measures

Oil rents are the difference between the value of crude oil production at regional prices and total costs of production.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 50 values

Oil rents (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.02% (2021)
• Algeria — 14.46% (2021)
• Bahrain — 10.94% (2021)
• Djibouti — 0% (2021)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2.99% (2021)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 18.27% (2021)
• Iraq — 42.79% (2021)
• Israel — 0.01% (2021)
• Jordan — 0.01% (2021)
• Lebanon — 0% (2021)
• Libya — 56.38% (2021)
• Malta — 0% (2021)

More environment data for Kuwait

• Population in largest city — 3.41 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 69.99% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 3.41 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 69.99% (2025)
• Rural population — 0 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 0% (2025)
• Urban population — 4.87 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 100% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 461.24 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Kuwait's oil rents (% of GDP)?

27.58% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 7.31 percentage points from 34.89% in 1970. The highest value was 70.81% in 1974 and the lowest 13.22% in 1991.

Is the latest change in oil rents (% of GDP) unusual for Kuwait?

In 2020, Kuwait's oil rents (% of GDP) fell 11.07 percentage points on 2019 (from 38.66% to 27.58%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.17 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/changing-wealth-of-nations/data, note: World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in the World Bank's The Changing Wealth of Nations., publisher: World Bank (WB); Staff estimates, Wo….

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.PETR.RT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/changing-wealth-of-nations/data, note: World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in the World Bank's The Changing Wealth of Nations., publisher: World Bank (WB); Staff estimates, Wo… 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.