GeoRealityMatch
Aerial view of Kuwait City's modern skyline and bustling harbor with yachts.Beautiful Kuwait City skyline reflected on calm water at sunset, showcasing modern architecture.

Kuwait

Asia · Western Asia

High safetyAffordable cost of livingVery high development

Incomes are high, and people live long. The air is polluted.

vs United Arab Emiratesvs Saudi Arabiavs Qatar
Safety

49th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
1.813lower is more peacefulHigh safety
#49 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
0.2per 100,000 people a yearVery lowUNODC / World Bank · 2020
Safety index
67.4Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferHighNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes above the median country

GNI per person
$41,110national income per person, US dollarsVery high
World Bank · 2024
Rent index
22.0New York = 100ExpensiveNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
6.5years of median income to buy a median flatVery affordableNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person fell 25% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and fell 39% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$50K$100K$56,468 PPP$32,312Inflation, % a year12%0200620102015202020252006, $42,947 a person, $89,075 at PPP, inflation 3.1%2007, $45,709 a person, $91,435 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2008, $55,585 a person, $90,337 at PPP, inflation 10.6%2009, $37,907 a person, $80,110 at PPP, inflation 4.6%2010, $39,212 a person, $75,184 at PPP, inflation 4.5%2011, $49,170 a person, $79,037 at PPP, inflation 4.8%2012, $52,155 a person, $82,090 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2013, $49,651 a person, $76,813 at PPP, inflation 2.7%2014, $44,369 a person, $68,337 at PPP, inflation 2.9%2015, $29,882 a person, $45,267 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2016, $27,324 a person, $41,862 at PPP, inflation 3.2%2017, $29,048 a person, $46,566 at PPP, inflation 2.2%2018, $32,068 a person, $51,371 at PPP, inflation 0.5%2019, $31,708 a person, $50,703 at PPP, inflation 1.1%2020, $25,236 a person, $41,462 at PPP, inflation 2.1%2021, $34,019 a person, $50,652 at PPP, inflation 3.4%2022, $39,982 a person, $55,034 at PPP, inflation 4%2023, $34,092 a person, $53,083 at PPP, inflation 3.6%2024, $32,856 a person, $53,119 at PPP, inflation 2.9%2025, $32,312 a person, $56,468 at PPP, inflation 2.4%$0$50K$100KInflation, % a year12%0200620102015202020252006, $42,947 a person, $89,075 at PPP, inflation 3.1%2007, $45,709 a person, $91,435 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2008, $55,585 a person, $90,337 at PPP, inflation 10.6%2009, $37,907 a person, $80,110 at PPP, inflation 4.6%2010, $39,212 a person, $75,184 at PPP, inflation 4.5%2011, $49,170 a person, $79,037 at PPP, inflation 4.8%2012, $52,155 a person, $82,090 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2013, $49,651 a person, $76,813 at PPP, inflation 2.7%2014, $44,369 a person, $68,337 at PPP, inflation 2.9%2015, $29,882 a person, $45,267 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2016, $27,324 a person, $41,862 at PPP, inflation 3.2%2017, $29,048 a person, $46,566 at PPP, inflation 2.2%2018, $32,068 a person, $51,371 at PPP, inflation 0.5%2019, $31,708 a person, $50,703 at PPP, inflation 1.1%2020, $25,236 a person, $41,462 at PPP, inflation 2.1%2021, $34,019 a person, $50,652 at PPP, inflation 3.4%2022, $39,982 a person, $55,034 at PPP, inflation 4%2023, $34,092 a person, $53,083 at PPP, inflation 3.6%2024, $32,856 a person, $53,119 at PPP, inflation 2.9%2025, $32,312 a person, $56,468 at PPP, inflation 2.4%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Among the longest-lived countries

Life expectancy
84.6years, at birthVery high
#3 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
84WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100Very highWHO · 2023
Air pollution
48.8PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageVery highWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Very fast home internet

Unemployment rate
2.2%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
225 Mbpsmedian download speedVery fastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
455EF English Proficiency Index scoreLowEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet225 MbpsVery fast
Mobile380 MbpsVery fast

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

Beautiful Kuwait City skyline reflected on calm water at sunset, showcasing modern architecture.
How it changed

Kuwait's Human Development Index

0.852Very high human development

52nd of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 11th of 43 in Asia.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #50Oman0.858
  2. #51Turkey0.853
  3. #52Kuwait0.852
  4. #53Antigua and Barbuda0.851
  5. #54Seychelles0.848
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.698 in 1990 to 0.852 in 2023.

0.650.780.900.85219902000201020231990: 0.6981991: 0.6851992: 0.6991993: 0.7041994: 0.7341995: 0.7631996: 0.7691997: 0.7651998: 0.7701999: 0.7732000: 0.7782001: 0.7772002: 0.7832003: 0.7952004: 0.7982005: 0.7982006: 0.7992007: 0.8012008: 0.8052009: 0.8092010: 0.8122011: 0.8172012: 0.8222013: 0.8142014: 0.8182015: 0.8322016: 0.8362017: 0.8382018: 0.8402019: 0.8432020: 0.8372021: 0.8392022: 0.8452023: 0.8520.650.780.9019902000201020231990: 0.6981991: 0.6851992: 0.6991993: 0.7041994: 0.7341995: 0.7631996: 0.7691997: 0.7651998: 0.7701999: 0.7732000: 0.7782001: 0.7772002: 0.7832003: 0.7952004: 0.7982005: 0.7982006: 0.7992007: 0.8012008: 0.8052009: 0.8092010: 0.8122011: 0.8172012: 0.8222013: 0.8142014: 0.8182015: 0.8322016: 0.8362017: 0.8382018: 0.8402019: 0.8432020: 0.8372021: 0.8392022: 0.8452023: 0.852

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
84.6 years2024at birthUp 7.8 years from 76.8 years in 2005
Internet users
100%2025of people onlineUp 71 points from 29% in 2006
Urban population
100%2025of people in towns and citiesLevel with 2006
Births per woman
1.562024births per womanDown 1.17 from 2.73 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
0%2021of energy usedLevel with 2004
Access to electricity
100%2024of people with electricityLevel with 2005
Infant mortality
72024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 3 from 10 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
23.7 t2024of CO2 per person a yearDown 10.9 t from 34.5 t in 2005
Forest area
0%2023of land under forestLevel with 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

High expat salaries and oil wealth; conservative, with a limited social scene. The case for living here is high incomes, long lives and wide access to essential health services. The case against is polluted air and little English among locals.

About Kuwait

Kuwait is a small, wealthy Gulf state with a culture shaped by its Bedouin roots, its oil wealth, and its position as a traditional Arab trading city on the Persian Gulf. The old city has given way almost entirely to modern development, and life is largely lived indoors in air-conditioned malls and restaurants given the intense summer heat. It suits those with a specific interest in Gulf culture or business connections rather than conventional tourism.

Practical facts

  • CapitalKuwait City
  • LanguagesArabic
  • CurrencyKuwaiti dinar (KWD)
  • Area17,820 km²
  • Plug typeType G
  • Drives on theright
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Borders

IraqSaudi Arabia

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Quick answers

What is Kuwait's Human Development Index?

Kuwait's Human Development Index is 0.852 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #52 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Kuwait safe?

Kuwait scores 1.81 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #49 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Kuwait?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Kuwait at 42.5 (New York = 100); that is #76 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Kuwait?

Life expectancy at birth in Kuwait is 84.6 yrs (World Bank), ranked #3 of 195 countries.

What is the quality of life in Kuwait?

Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Kuwait at 162.7, ranked #33 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.