Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient
Mesopotamia.[16][17][18] Before the discovery of oil, Kuwait was a regional trade port.
Oil reserves were discovered in commercial quantities in 1938. In 1946, crude oil was exported for the first time.[19][20] From 1946 to 1982, the country underwent large-scale modernization, largely based on income from
oil production. In the 1980s, Kuwait experienced a period of geopolitical instability and an economic crisis following the
stock market crash. In 1990, Kuwait was
invaded and subsequently
annexed by
Iraq under the leadership of
Saddam Hussein following disputes over oil production.[21] The
Iraqi occupation of Kuwait ended on 26 February 1991, following
military intervention by a
coalition led by the United States and several other nations.
Like some of the other
Arab states in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait is an
emirate. The
emir is the head of state and the
Al Sabah is the ruling family which dominates the country's political system. Kuwait's official state religion is Islam, specifically the
Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Kuwait is a
high-income economy, backed by the world's
sixth largest oil reserves. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap opera, is exported to neighboring GCC states.[22] Kuwait is a founding member of the
GCC and is also a member of the
UN,
AL,
OPEC and the
OIC.
Etymology
The country's name is from the
Mesopotamian Arabic diminutive form of كوت (Kut or Kout), meaning "fortress built near water". Since 1961, the official name of the state is the "State of Kuwait".
Following the post-glacial flooding of the
Persian Gulf basin, debris from the
Tigris–Euphrates river formed a substantial delta, creating most of the land in present-day Kuwait and establishing the present coastlines.[23] One of the earliest evidence of human habitation in Kuwait dates back to 8000 BC where
Mesolithic tools were found in
Burgan.[24] Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient
Mesopotamia.[16][17][18]
During the Dilmun era (from ca. 3000 BC), Failaka was known as "
Agarum", the land of
Enzak, a great god in the Dilmun civilization according to Sumerian cuneiform texts found on the island.[43] As part of Dilmun, Failaka became a hub for the civilization from the end of the 3rd to the middle of the 1st millennium BC.[43][44] After the Dilmun civilization, Failaka was inhabited by the
Kassites of
Mesopotamia,[45] and was formally under the control of the
Kassite dynasty of Babylon.[45] Studies indicate traces of human settlement can be found on Failaka dating back to as early as the end of the 3rd millennium BC, and extending until the 20th century AD.[43] Many of the artifacts found in Falaika are linked to Mesopotamian civilizations and seem to show that Failaka was gradually drawn toward the civilization based in
Antioch.[46]
Under
Nebuchadnezzar II, the bay of Kuwait was under
Babylonian control.[47] Cuneiform documents found in Failaka indicate the presence of Babylonians in the island's population.[48]Babylonian Kings were present in Failaka during the
Neo-Babylonian Empire period,
Nabonidus had a governor in Failaka and Nebuchadnezzar II had a palace and temple in Falaika.[49][50] Failaka also contained temples dedicated to the worship of
Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god in the Babylonian pantheon.[50]
Following the
Fall of Babylon, the bay of Kuwait came under the control of the
Achaemenid Empire (c. 550‒330 BC) as the bay was repopulated after seven centuries of abandonment.[51] Failaka was under the control of the Achaemenid Empire as evidenced by the archaeological discovery of Achaemenid strata.[49][52] There are
Aramaic inscriptions that testify Achaemenid presence.[52]
In 4th century BC, the
ancient Greeks colonized the bay of Kuwait under
Alexander the Great. The ancient Greeks named mainland Kuwait Larissa and Failaka was named Ikaros.[53][54][55][56] The bay of Kuwait was named Hieros Kolpos.[57] According to
Strabo and
Arrian, Alexander the Great named Failaka Ikaros because it resembled the
Aegean island of that name in size and shape. Elements of
Greek mythology were mixed with the local cults.[58] "Ikaros" was also the name of a prominent city situated in Failaka.[59] Large
Hellenisticforts and
Greek temples were uncovered.[60] Archaeological remains of Greek colonization were also discovered in Akkaz, Umm an Namil, and Subiya.[24]
At the time of Alexander the Great, the mouth of the
Euphrates River was located in northern Kuwait.[61][62] The Euphrates river flowed directly into the Persian Gulf via Khor
Subiya which was a river channel at the time.[61][62] Failaka was located 15 kilometers from the mouth of the Euphrates river.[61][62] By the first century BC, the Khor Subiya river channel dried out completely.[61][62]
In 127 BC, Kuwait was part of the
Parthian Empire and the kingdom of
Characene was established around
Teredon in present-day Kuwait.[63][64][65] Characene was centered in the region encompassing southern Mesopotamia,[66] Characene coins were discovered in Akkaz, Umm an Namil, and Failaka.[67][68] A busy Parthian commercial station was situated in Kuwait.[69]
In 224 AD, Kuwait became part of the
Sassanid Empire. At the time of the Sassanid Empire, Kuwait was known as Meshan,[70] which was an alternative name of the kingdom of Characene.[71][72] Akkaz was a
Partho-
Sassanian site;[73] the
Sassanid religion's
tower of silence was discovered in northern Akkaz.[73][74][75] Late Sassanian settlements were discovered in Failaka.[76] In
Bubiyan, there is archaeological evidence of Sassanian to early Islamic periods of human presence as evidenced by the recent discovery of torpedo-jar pottery shards on several prominent beach ridges.[77]
In the latter half of the eighteenth century, Kuwait began establishing itself as a maritime
port and gradually became a principal commercial center for the transit of goods between
Baghdad, India, Persia,
Muscat, and the
Arabian Peninsula.[89][90] By the late-1700s, Kuwait had established itself as a trading route from the Persian Gulf to
Aleppo.[91] During the
Persian siege of Basra in 1775–79, Iraqi merchants took refuge in Kuwait and were partly instrumental in the expansion of Kuwait's boat-building and trading activities.[92] As a result, Kuwait's maritime commerce boomed,[92] as the Indian trade routes with Baghdad, Aleppo,
Smyrna and
Constantinople were diverted to Kuwait during this time.[91][93][94] The
East India Company was diverted to Kuwait in 1792.[95] The East India Company secured the sea routes between Kuwait, India and the east coasts of Africa.[95] After the Persians withdrew from
Basra in 1779, Kuwait continued to attract trade away from Basra.[96] The flight of many of Basra's leading merchants to Kuwait continued to play a significant role in Basra's commercial stagnation well into the 1850s.[96]
The instability in Basra helped foster economic prosperity in Kuwait.[97][98] In the late 18th century, Kuwait was a haven for Basra merchants fleeing
Ottoman persecution.[99] Kuwait was the center of
boat building in the Persian Gulf,[100] its ships renowned throughout the
Indian Ocean.[101][102] Its sailors developed a positive reputation in the Persian Gulf.[89][103][104] In the 19th century, Kuwait became significant in the
horse trade,[105] with regular shipments in sailing vessels.[105] In the mid 19th century, it was estimated that Kuwait exported an average of 800 horses to India annually.[97]
In 1919, Sheikh
Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah intended to build a commercial city in the south of Kuwait. This caused a diplomatic crisis with Najd, but Britain intervened, discouraging Sheikh Salim. In 1920, an attempt by the
Ikhwan to build a stronghold in southern Kuwait led to the
Battle of Hamdh. The Battle of Hamdh involved 2,000
Ikhwan fighters against 100 Kuwaiti
cavalrymen and 200 Kuwaiti
infantrymen. The battle lasted for six days and resulted in heavy but unknown casualties on both sides resulting in the victory of the Ikhwan forces and leading to the battle of Jahra around the Kuwait Red Fort. The
Battle of Jahra happened as the result of the
Battle of Hamdh. A force of three to four thousand
Ikhwan, led by
Faisal Al-Dawish, attacked the
Red Fort at Al-Jahra, defended by fifteen hundred men. The fort was besieged and the Kuwaiti position precarious[110] The Ikhwan attack repulsed for the while, negotiations began between Salim and Al-Dawish; the latter threatened another attack if the Kuwaiti forces did not surrender. The local merchant class convinced Salim to call in help from British troops, who showed up with airplanes and three warships, ending the attacks.[110] After the Battle of Jahra, Ibn Saud's warriors, the
Ikhwan, demanded that Kuwait follows five rules: evict all the
Shias, adopt the
Ikhwan doctrine, label the Turks "
heretics", abolish smoking,
munkar and prostitution, and destroy the American missionary hospital.[111]
The
Kuwait–Najd War of 1919–20 erupted in the
aftermath of World War I. The war occurred because
Ibn Saud of Najd wanted to annex Kuwait.[107][112] The sharpened conflict between Kuwait and Najd led to the death of hundreds of Kuwaitis. The war resulted in sporadic border clashes throughout 1919–1920.
When
Percy Cox was informed of the border clashes in Kuwait, he sent a letter to the
Ruler of Arabistan Sheikh
Khazʽal Ibn Jabir offering the Kuwaiti throne to either him or one of his heirs. Khaz'al refused.[113] He then asked:
...even so, do you think that you have come to me with something new? Al Mubarak's position as ruler of Kuwait means that I am the true ruler of Kuwait. So there is no difference between myself and them, for they are like the dearest of my children and you are aware of this. Had someone else come to me with this offer, I would have complained about them to you. So how do you come to me with this offer when you are well aware that myself and Al Mubarak are one soul and one house, what affects them affects me, whether good or evil.[113]
Following the Kuwait–Najd War in 1919–20, Ibn Saud imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait from the years 1923 until 1937.[114] The goal of the Saudi economic and military attacks on Kuwait was to annex as much of Kuwait's territory as possible. At the
Uqair conference in 1922, the boundaries of Kuwait and Najd were set; as a result of British interference, Kuwait had no representative at the Uqair conference. After the Uqair conference, Kuwait was still subjected to a Saudi economic blockade and intermittent Saudi
raiding.
Kuwait immensely declined in regional economic importance,[102] due to the trade blockades and the world economic depression.[107] Before
Mary Bruins Allison visited Kuwait in 1934, Kuwait had already lost its prominence in long-distance trade.[102]
The
Great Depression harmed Kuwait's economy, starting in the late 1920s.[114] International trading was one of Kuwait's main sources of income before oil.[114] Kuwait's merchants were mostly intermediary merchants.[114] As a result of the decline of European demand for goods from India and Africa, Kuwait's economy suffered. The decline in international trade resulted in an increase in gold smuggling by Kuwait's ships to India.[114] Some local merchant families became rich from this smuggling.[115] Kuwait's
pearl industry also collapsed as a result of the worldwide economic depression.[115] At its height, Kuwait's pearl industry had led the world's luxury market, regularly sending out between 750 and 800 ships to meet the European elite's desire for pearls.[115] During the economic depression, luxuries like pearls were in little demand.[115] The Japanese invention of
cultured pearls also contributed to the collapse of Kuwait's pearl industry.[115]
Freya Stark wrote about the extent of poverty in Kuwait at the time:[114]
Poverty has settled in Kuwait more heavily since my last visit five years ago, both by sea, where the pearl trade continues to decline, and by land, where the blockade established by Saudi Arabia now harms the merchants.
Attempts made by
King Faisal I of Iraq to build a railway to Kuwait and port facilities on the Gulf were rejected by Britain. These and other similar British colonial policies made Kuwait a focus of the Arab national movement in Iraq, and a symbol of Iraqi humiliation at the hands of the British.[116]
Throughout the 1930s, Kuwaiti people opposed the British imposed separation of Kuwait from Iraq.[116] In 1938, the "Free Kuwaiti Movement" was established by Kuwaiti youth who opposed British rule and submitted a petition requesting the Iraqi government reunifies Kuwait and Iraq.[116][117] Due to fears of armed uprising in Kuwait, the Al Sabah agreed to the establishment of a legislative council to represent the "Free Kuwaiti Movement" demanding the reunification of Iraq and Kuwait.[116] The council's first meeting in 1938 resulted in unanimous resolutions demanding the reunification of Kuwait and Iraq.[116]
On 22 February 1938,
oil was first discovered in the
Burgan field.
In March 1939, a popular armed uprising erupted within Kuwait to reunify with Iraq.[116] The Al Sabah family, along with British military support, violently put down the uprising, and killed and imprisoned its participants.[116] King Ghazi of Iraq publicly demanded the release of the Kuwaiti prisoners and warned the Al Sabah family to end the repression of the "Free Kuwaiti Movement".[116][117]
1946–1980: State-building
Between 1946 and 1980, Kuwait experienced a period of prosperity driven by oil and its liberal cultural atmosphere; this period is called the "golden era of Kuwait".[118][119][120][121] In 1946, crude oil was exported for the first time. In 1950, a major public-work programme began to enable Kuwaiti citizens to enjoy a luxurious standard of living.
By 1952, the country became the largest oil exporter in the Persian Gulf region. This massive growth attracted many foreign workers, especially from Palestine, Iran, India, and Egypt – with the latter being particularly political within the context of the
Arab Cold War.[122] It was also in 1952 that the first masterplan of Kuwait was designed by the British planning firm of
Minoprio,
Spenceley, and Macfarlane. In 1958, Al-Arabi magazine was first published.[123] Many foreign writers moved to Kuwait because they enjoyed greater
freedom of expression than elsewhere in the Middle East.[124][125] Kuwait's press was described as one of the
freest in the world.[126] Kuwait was the pioneer in the literary renaissance in the Middle East.[123]
In June 1961, Kuwait became independent with the end of the
British protectorate and the Sheikh
Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became
Emir of Kuwait. Kuwait's
national day, however, is celebrated on 25 February, the anniversary of the coronation of Sheikh Abdullah (it was originally celebrated on 19 June, the date of independence, but concerns over the summer heat caused the government to move it).[127]
At the time, Kuwait was considered the most developed country in the region.[128][129][130] Kuwait was the pioneer in the Middle East in diversifying its earnings away from oil exports.[131] The
Kuwait Investment Authority is the world's first sovereign wealth fund.
Kuwaiti society embraced liberal and non-traditional attitudes throughout the 1960s and 1970s.[132][133] For example, most Kuwaiti women did not wear the
hijab in the 1960s and 70s.[134][135]
Although Kuwait formally gained independence in 1961, Iraq initially refused to recognize the country's independence by maintaining that Kuwait is part of Iraq, albeit Iraq later briefly backed down following a show of force by Britain and
Arab League support of Kuwait's independence.[136][137][138]
The short-lived
Operation Vantage crisis evolved in July 1961, as the Iraqi government threatened to invade Kuwait and the invasion was finally averted following plans by the Arab League to form an international Arab force against the potential Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.[139][140] As a result of Operation Vantage, the Arab League took over the border security of Kuwait and the British had withdrawn their forces by 19 October.[136] Iraqi prime minister
Abd al-Karim Qasim was killed in a coup in 1963 but, although Iraq recognised Kuwaiti independence and the military threat was perceived to be reduced, Britain continued to monitor the situation and kept forces available to protect Kuwait until 1971. There had been no Iraqi military action against Kuwait at the time: this was attributed to the political and military situation within Iraq which continued to be unstable.[12]
A treaty of friendship between Iraq and Kuwait was signed in 1963 by which Iraq recognised the 1932 border of Kuwait.[141] Under the terms of the newly drafted
Constitution, Kuwait held its first
parliamentary elections in 1963.
Kuwait University was established in 1966.[130] Kuwait's
theatre industry became well known throughout the region.[118][130] After the 1967
Six Day War, Kuwait along with other Arabic speaking countries voted the three no's of the
Khartoum Resolution: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations with Israel. From the 1970s onward, Kuwait scored highest of all Arab countries on the
Human Development Index.[130] The Iraqi poet
Ahmed Matar left Iraq in the 1970s to take refuge in the more liberal environment of Kuwait.
The
Kuwait-Iraq 1973 Sanita border skirmish evolved on 20 March 1973, when Iraqi army units occupied El-Samitah near the Kuwaiti border, which evoked an international crisis.[142]
On 6 February 1974,
Palestinian militants occupied the Japanese embassy in Kuwait, taking the ambassador and ten others hostage. The militants' motive was to support the
Japanese Red Army members and Palestinian militants who were holding hostages on a Singaporean ferry in what is known as the
Laju incident. Ultimately, the hostages were released, and the guerrillas allowed to fly to
Aden. This was the first time Palestinian guerrillas struck in Kuwait as the Al Sabah ruling family, headed by Sheikh Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, funded the Palestinian resistance movement. Kuwait had been a regular endpoint for Palestinian
plane hijacking in the past and had considered itself safe.
The Al Sabah strongly advocated
Islamism throughout the 1980s.[143] At that time, the most serious threat to the continuity of Al Sabah came from home-grown democrats,[143] who were protesting the
1976 suspension of the parliament.[143] The Al Sabah were attracted to Islamists preaching the virtues of a
hierarchical order that included loyalty to the Kuwaiti monarchy.[143] In 1981, the Kuwaiti government
gerrymandered electoral districts in favour of the Islamists.[144][143] Islamists were the government's main allies, hence Islamists were able to dominate state agencies, such as the
government ministries.[143]
During the
Iran–Iraq War, Kuwait ardently supported Iraq. As a result, there were
various pro-Iran terror attacks across Kuwait, including the 1983 bombings, the attempted assassination of
Emir Jaber in May 1985, the
1985 Kuwait City bombings, and the hijacking of several Kuwait Airways planes. Kuwait's economy and scientific research sector significantly suffered due to the pro-Iran terror attacks.[145]
After the Iran–Iraq War ended, Kuwait declined an Iraqi request to forgive its US$65 billion debt.[150] An economic rivalry between the two countries ensued after Kuwait increased its oil production by 40 percent.[151] Tensions between the two countries increased further in July 1990, after Iraq complained to
OPEC claiming that Kuwait was stealing its oil from a field near the border by
slant drilling of the
Rumaila field.[151]
In August 1990, Iraqi forces
invaded and annexed Kuwait without any warning. After a series of failed diplomatic negotiations, the United States led a coalition to remove the Iraqi forces from Kuwait, in what became known as the
Gulf War. On 26 February 1991, in phase of code-named
Operation Desert Storm, the coalition succeeded in driving out the Iraqi forces. As they retreated, Iraqi forces carried out a
scorched earth policy by setting oil wells on fire.[152]
During the Iraqi occupation, nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in Kuwait. In addition, 600 people went missing during Iraq's occupation;[153] remains of approximately 375 were found in mass graves in Iraq. Kuwait celebrates February 26 as
Liberation Day. The event marked the country as the centre of the last major war in the 20th century.
In the early 1990s, Kuwait
deported nearly 400,000 Palestinians.[154] Kuwait's policy was a response to alignment of the
PLO with Saddam Hussein. It was a form of
collective punishment. Kuwait also deported thousands of Iraqis and Yemenis after the Gulf War.[155][156]
In addition, hundreds of thousands of
stateless Bedoon were expelled from Kuwait in the early-to-mid 1990s.[157][158][155][159][156] At the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom in 1995, it was revealed that the Al Sabah ruling family deported 150,000 stateless Bedoon to refugee camps in the Kuwaiti desert near the Iraqi border with minimal water, insufficient food, and no basic shelter.[160][158] Many of the stateless Bedoon fled to Iraq where they still remain stateless people even today.[161][162]
In March 2003, Kuwait became the springboard for the US-led
invasion of Iraq. In 2005, women won the right to vote and run in elections. Upon the death of the Emir Jaber in January 2006, Sheikh
Saad Al-Sabah succeeded him but was removed nine days later due to his failing health. As a result, Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was sworn in as Emir. From that point onwards, Kuwait suffered from chronic political deadlock between the government and parliament which resulted in multiple cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions.[163] This significantly hampered investment and economic reforms in Kuwait, making the country's economy much more dependent on oil.[163]
Despite the political instability, Kuwait had the highest
Human Development Index ranking in the Arab world from 2006 to 2009.[164][165][166][167][168][169] China awarded Kuwait Investment Authority an additional $700 million quota on top of $300 million awarded in March 2012.[170] The quota is the highest to be granted by China to foreign investment entities.[170]
On 26 June 2015, a
suicide bombing took place at a Shia Muslim mosque in Kuwait. The
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack. Twenty-seven people were killed and 227 people were wounded. It was the largest terror attack in Kuwait's history. In the aftermath, a lawsuit was filed accusing the Kuwaiti government of negligence and direct responsibility for the terror attack.[181][182]
The
COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated Kuwait's economic crisis.[203][204][205][206] Kuwait's economy faced a budget deficit of $46 billion in 2020.[207][208][163] It was Kuwait's first fiscal deficit since 1995.[209][210] In September 2020, Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the 16th Emir of Kuwait and the successor to Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died at the age of 91.[211] In October 2020, Sheikh
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was appointed as the Crown Prince.[212][213][214][215] In December 2023, Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah died and was replaced by Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.[216]
Kuwait currently has the largest US military presence in the entire Middle East region.[217] There are over 14,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.[217]Camp Arifjan is the largest US military base in Kuwait. The US uses bases in Kuwait as staging hubs, training ranges, and logistical support for its Middle East operations.[217]
In recent years, Kuwait's infrastructure projects market has regularly underperformed due to political deadlock between the government and parliament.[218][163] Kuwait is now the region's most oil-dependent country with the lowest share of economic diversification.[163][204] According to the World Economic Forum, Kuwait has the weakest infrastructure quality in the GCC region.[219]
Skyline of
Kuwait City, capital and largest city of Kuwait
Located at the head of the
Persian Gulf in the north-east corner of the
Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of land area. Kuwait lies between latitudes
28° and
31° N, and longitudes
46° and
49° E. Kuwait is generally low-lying, with the highest point being 306 m (1,004 ft)
above sea level.[12]Mutla Ridge is the highest point in Kuwait.
Kuwait has
ten islands.[220] With an area of 860 km2 (330 sq mi), the
Bubiyan is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the rest of the country by a 2,380-metre-long (7,808 ft) bridge.[221] 0.6% of Kuwaiti land area is considered arable[12] with sparse vegetation found along its 499-kilometre-long (310 mi) coastline.[12]Kuwait City is located on
Kuwait Bay, a natural deep-water harbor.
Kuwait's
Burgan field has a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels (11 billion cubic metres) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991
Kuwaiti oil fires, more than 500 oil lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km2 (13+3⁄4 sq mi).[222] The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces.[223] The oil spills during the
Gulf War also drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.[224]
Due to Kuwait's proximity to Iraq and Iran, the winter season in Kuwait is colder than other coastal countries in the region (especially UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain).[225] Kuwait is also less humid than other coastal countries in the region. The spring season in March is warm with occasional thunderstorms. The frequent winds from the northwest are cold in winter and hot in summer. Southeasterly damp winds spring up between July and October. Hot and dry south winds prevail in spring and early summer. The shamal, a northwesterly wind common during June and July, causes dramatic sandstorms.[226] Summers in Kuwait are some of the hottest on earth. The highest recorded temperature was 54.0 °C (129.2 °F) at
Mitribah on 21 July 2016, which is the highest temperature recorded in Asia.[227][228]
At present, there are five
protected areas in Kuwait recognized by the
IUCN. In response to Kuwait becoming the
169th signatory of the
Ramsar Convention,
Bubiyan Island's Mubarak al-Kabeer reserve was designated as the country's first Wetland of International Importance.[233] The 50,948 ha reserve consists of small lagoons and shallow
salt marshes and is important as a stop-over for migrating birds on two migration routes.[233] The reserve is home to the world's largest breeding colony of
crab-plover.[233]
Currently,
444 species of birds have been recorded in Kuwait, 18 species of which breed in the country.[234] The arfaj is the national flower of Kuwait.[235] Due to its location at the head of the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the
Tigris–Euphrates river, Kuwait is situated at the crossroads of many major bird migration routes and between two and three million birds pass each year.[236] Kuwait's marine and littoral ecosystems contain the bulk of the country's biodiversity heritage.[236] The marshes in northern Kuwait and Jahra have become increasingly important as a refuge for passage migrants.[236]
Twenty eight species of mammal are found in Kuwait; animals such as gerboa, desert rabbits and
hedgehogs are common in the desert.[236] Large carnivores, such as the
wolf,
caracal and
jackal, are no longer present.[236] Among the endangered mammalian species are the
red fox and
wild cat.[236] Forty reptile species have been recorded although none are endemic to Kuwait.[236]
Kuwait, Oman and Yemen are the only locations where the endangered
smoothtooth blacktip shark is confirmed as occurring.[237]
Kuwait is part of the
Tigris–Euphrates river system basin.[239][240][241][242][243][244] Several Tigris–Euphrates
confluences form parts of the Kuwait–Iraq border.[245]Bubiyan Island is part of the
Shatt al-Arab delta.[77] Kuwait is partially part of the
Mesopotamian Marshes.[246][247][248] Kuwait does not currently have any permanent rivers within its territory. However, Kuwait does have several
wadis, the most notable of which is
Wadi al-Batin which forms the border between Kuwait and Iraq.[249] Kuwait also has several river-like marine channels around Bubiyan Island, most notably
Khawr Abd Allah which is now an
estuary, but once was the point where the
Shatt al-Arab emptied into the Persian Gulf. Khawr Abd Allah is located in southern Iraq and northern Kuwait, the
Iraq-Kuwait border divides the lower portion of the estuary, but adjacent to the port of
Umm Qasr the estuary becomes wholly Iraqi. It forms the northeast coastline of Bubiyan Island and the north coastline of
Warbah Island.[250]
Kuwait relies on water
desalination as a primary source of fresh water for drinking and domestic purposes.[251][252] There are currently more than six desalination plants.[252] Kuwait was the first country in the world to use desalination to supply water for large-scale domestic use. The history of desalination in Kuwait dates back to 1951 when the first distillation plant was commissioned.[251]
In 1965, the Kuwaiti government commissioned the Swedish engineering company of VBB (
Sweco) to develop and implement a plan for a modern
water-supply system for Kuwait City. The company built
five groups of water towers, thirty-one towers total, designed by its chief architect
Sune Lindström, called "the mushroom towers". For a sixth site, the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh
Jaber Al-Ahmed, wanted a more spectacular design. This last group, known as
Kuwait Towers, consists of three towers, two of which also serve as water towers.[253] Water from the desalination facility is pumped up to the tower. The thirty-three towers have a standard capacity of 102,000 cubic meters of water. "The Water Towers" (Kuwait Tower and the Kuwait Water Towers) were awarded the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1980 Cycle).[254]
Kuwait's fresh water resources are limited to groundwater, desalinated seawater, and treated wastewater effluents.[251] There are three major municipal wastewater treatment plants.[251] Most water demand is currently satisfied through seawater desalination plants.[251][252] Sewage disposal is handled by a national sewage network that covers 98% of facilities in the country.[255]
Executive power is exercised by the government. The Emir appoints the prime minister, who in turn chooses the
cabinet of ministers comprising the government. In recent decades, numerous policies of the Kuwaiti government have been characterized as "
demographic engineering", especially in relation to Kuwait's
stateless Bedoon crisis and the
history of naturalization in Kuwait.
The Emir appoints the judges. The Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the constitution. Kuwait has an active
public sphere and
civil society with political and social organizations.[263][264] Professional groups like the
Chamber of Commerce, which represents the interests of Kuwaiti businesses and industries, maintain their autonomy from the government.[263][264]
Kuwait's political instability has significantly hampered the country's economic development and infrastructure.[266][163][204] Kuwait is regularly characterized as being a "
rentier state" in which the ruling family uses oil revenues to buy the political acquiescence of the citizenry; more than 70% of government spending consists of public sector salaries and subsidies.[267] Kuwait has the highest public sector wage bill in the GCC region as public sector wages account for 12.4% of GDP.[207]
Kuwaiti women are considered among the most emancipated women in the Middle East. In 2014 and 2015, Kuwait was ranked first among Arab countries in the
Global Gender Gap Report.[268][269][270] In 2013, 53% of Kuwaiti women participated in the labor force,[271] where they outnumber working Kuwaiti men,[272] giving Kuwait the highest female citizen participation in the workforce of any GCC country.[272][271][273] According to the
Social Progress Index, Kuwait ranks first in
social progress in the Arab world and Muslim world and second highest in the Middle East after Israel.[274] However, women's political participation in Kuwait has been limited.[275] Despite multiple prior attempts at granting
Kuwaiti women suffrage, they were not permanently enfranchised until 2005.[276]
The Al Sabah ruling family adhere to the
Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Article 4 of the
Kuwait constitution stipulates that Kuwait is a hereditary emirate whose emir must be an heir of
Mubarak Al-Sabah.[265] Mubarak had four sons, but an informal pattern of alternation between the descendants of his sons
Jabir and
Salem emerged since his death in 1915.[280] This pattern of succession had one exception before 2006, when Sheikh
Sabah Al-Salim, a son of Salem, was named crown prince to succeed his half-brother Sheikh
Abdullah Al-Salem as a consequence of infighting and lack of consensus within the ruling family council.[280] The alternating system was resumed when Sheikh Sabah Al-Salim named Sheikh
Jaber Al-Ahmed of the Jabir branch as his crown prince, eventually ruling as Emir for 29 years from 1977 to 2006.[280] On January 15, 2006, Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed died and his crown prince, Sheikh
Saad Al-Abdullah of the Salem branch was named Emir.[281] On January 23, 2006, the National Assembly unanimously voted in favor of Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah abdicating in favor of Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmed, citing his illness with a form of dementia.[280] Instead of naming a successor from the Salem branch as per convention, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed named his half-brother Sheikh
Nawaf Al-Ahmed as crown prince and his nephew Sheikh
Nasser Al-Mohammed as prime minister.[280] On December 16, 2023, Sheikh
Nawaf Al-Ahmed Passed away, And Sheikh
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber would be the successor.
Theoretically, Article 4 of the constitution stipulates that the incoming Emir's choice of crown prince needs to be approved by an absolute majority of the
National Assembly.[265] If this approval is not achieved, the emir is constitutionally required to submit three alternative candidates for crown prince to the National Assembly.[265] This process previously caused contenders for power to engage in alliance-building in the political scene, which had taken historically private feuding within the ruling family to the "public arena and the political realm".[280]
The foreign affairs of Kuwait are handled at the level of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first foreign affairs department bureau was established in 1961. Kuwait became the 111th member state of the
United Nations in May 1963. It is a long-standing member of the
Arab League and
Gulf Cooperation Council.
Before the
Gulf War, Kuwait was the only "pro-
Soviet" state in the Persian Gulf region.[282] Kuwait acted as a conduit for the Soviets to the other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and Kuwait was used to demonstrate the benefits of a pro-Soviet stance.[282] In July 1987, Kuwait refused to allow U.S. military bases in its territory.[283] As a result of the
Gulf War, Kuwait's relations with the U.S. have improved (
major non-NATO ally). Kuwait is also a major ally of
ASEAN and enjoys a close economic relationship with China while working to establish a model of cooperation in numerous fields.[284][285]
Kuwait is a
major non-NATO ally to the United States and currently has the largest US military presence in the entire Middle East region.[217] The United States government utilizes Kuwait-based military bases as staging hubs, training ranges, and logistical support for regional and international military operations.[217] The bases include Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem Air Field, and the naval base Camp Patriot.[217]
Kuwait also has strong economic ties to China and
ASEAN.[286][287]
The Kuwaiti armed forces consist of the
Land Forces, the
Air Force (including the Air Defense Force), the
Navy (including the Coast Guard), the
National Guard, and the Emiri Guard, with a total of 17,500 active personnel and 23,700 reservists. The Emiri Guard is tasked with the protection of the Emir of Kuwait. The National Guard remains independent of the regular armed forces command structure, subordinated directly to the Emir and the prime minister, and is involved in both internal security and external defense. The Coast Guard is part of the
Ministry of Interior while all of the other branches are part of the
Ministry of Defense, and the National Guard provides assistance to both agencies. Since 1991 the United States has been the country's main security partner, carrying out training exercises with its military, and Kuwait is also a participant in the Gulf Cooperation Council's
Peninsula Shield Force. The Kuwaiti military uses American, Russian, and western European equipment.[290][291]
In 2017 Kuwait reintroduced mandatory military service for its male citizens, consisting of four months of training and eight months of service. Conscription was previously in effect from 1961 to 2001, though it was not fully enforced at that time.[292][293] Kuwait was the only Gulf country to have had military conscription until 2014, when Qatar also implemented the policy.[294]
When Saudi Arabia began its
intervention in the Yemeni civil war in early 2015, Kuwait joined the Saudi-led coalition. Kuwaiti forces provided an artillery battalion and 15 fighter jets, though their contribution to the operations in Yemen was limited.[295][296]
Human rights in Kuwait has been the subject of significant criticism, particularly regarding the
Bedoon (stateless people).[159][157][311][155] The Kuwaiti government's handling of the stateless Bedoon crisis has come under criticism from many human rights organisations and even the
United Nations.[312] According to
Human Rights Watch in 1995, Kuwait has produced 300,000 stateless Bedoon.[313] Kuwait has the largest number of stateless people in the entire region.[157][314] Since 1986, the Kuwaiti government has refused to grant any form of documentation to the Bedoon including birth certificates, death certificates, identity cards, marriage certificates, and driving licences.[314][315] The Kuwaiti Bedoon crisis resembles the
Rohingya crisis in
Myanmar (Burma).[316] According to several human rights organizations, Kuwait is committing
ethnic cleansing and
genocide against the stateless Bedoon.[159][157][314] Additionally,
LGBT people in Kuwait have few legal protections.[317]
On the other hand, human rights organizations have criticized Kuwait for the human rights abuses toward foreign nationals. Foreign nationals account for 70% of Kuwait's total population. The
kafala system leaves foreign nationals prone to exploitation. Administrative deportation is very common in Kuwait for minor offenses, including minor traffic violations. Kuwait is one of the world's worst offenders in
human trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals are subjected to numerous human rights abuses including involuntary servitude. They are subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, poor work conditions, threats, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement.[318][319] Since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic vaccination rollout, Kuwait has been regularly accused of implementing a xenophobic vaccine policy toward foreign nationals.[320]
Kuwait's mistreatment of foreign workers has resulted in various high-profile diplomatic crises. In 2018, there was a
diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and the Philippines due to the mistreatment of Filipino workers in Kuwait. Approximately 60% of Filipinos in Kuwait are employed as domestic workers. In July 2018, Kuwaiti fashionista
Sondos Alqattan released a controversial video criticizing domestic workers from the Philippines.[321] In 2020, there was a diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and Egypt due to the mistreatment of Egyptian workers in Kuwait.[322]
Various Kuwaitis have been jailed after they criticized the Al Sabah ruling family.[323] In 2010, the
U.S. State Department said it had concerns about the case of Kuwaiti blogger and journalist Mohammad Abdul-Kader al-Jassem who was on trial for allegedly criticizing the ruling al-Sabah family, and faced up to 18 years in prison if convicted.[324] He was detained after a complaint against him was issued by the office of Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.[324]
Extensive corruption among Kuwait's high-level government officials is a serious problem resulting in tensions between the government and the public.[325] In the
Corruption Perceptions Index 2007, Kuwait was ranked 60th out of 179 countries for corruption (least corrupt countries are at the top of the list). On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 the most corrupt and 10 the most transparent,
Transparency International rated Kuwait 4.3.[326]
In 2009, 20% of the youth in juvenile centres had dyslexia, as compared to the 6% of the general population.[327] Data from a 1993 study found that there is a higher rate of psychiatric morbidity in Kuwaiti prisons than in the general population.[328]
Kuwait is currently the GCC region's most oil-dependent country with the weakest infrastructure and lowest share of economic diversification.[163][204][219]
In 2019, Iraq was Kuwait's leading export market and food/agricultural products accounted for 94.2% of total export commodities.[335] Globally, Kuwait's main export products were mineral fuels including oil (89.1% of total exports), aircraft and spacecraft (4.3%), organic chemicals (3.2%), plastics (1.2%), iron and steel (0.2%), gems and precious metals (0.1%), machinery including computers (0.1%), aluminum (0.1%), copper (0.1%), and salt, sulphur, stone and cement (0.1%).[336] Kuwait was the world's biggest exporter of sulfonated, nitrated and nitrosated hydrocarbons in 2019.[337] Kuwait was ranked 63rd out of 157 countries in the 2019
Economic Complexity Index (ECI).[337]
In recent decades, Kuwait has enacted certain measures to regulate foreign labor due to security concerns. For instance, workers from
Georgia are subject to heightened scrutiny when applying for entry visas, and an outright ban was imposed on the entry of domestic workers from
Guinea-Bissau and
Vietnam.[338] Workers from
Bangladesh are also banned.[339] In April 2019, Kuwait added Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the list of banned countries bringing the total to 20. According to Migrant Rights, the bans are put in place mainly due to the fact that these countries lack embassies and labour corporations in Kuwait.[340]
Despite its relatively small territory, Kuwait has proven crude
oil reserves of 104 billion barrels, estimated to be 10% of the world's reserves. Kuwait also has substantial
natural gas reserves. All natural resources in the country are state property.
As part of Kuwait Vision 2035, Kuwait aims to position itself as a global hub for the petrochemical industry.[341]Al Zour Refinery is the largest refinery in the Middle East.[342][343][344] It is Kuwait's largest environmentally friendly oil refinery,[345][341] where this refers to the effect on the local environment as opposed to the global environmental impact of burning the resulting oil. This Al Zour Refinery is a Kuwait-China cooperation project under the
Belt and Road Initiative.[346] Al Zour LNG Terminal is the Middle East's largest import terminal for
liquefied natural gas.[347][348][349] It is the world's largest capacity LNG storage and regasification green field project.[350][351] The project has attracted investments worth US$3 billion.[352][353] Other megaprojects include biofuel and clean fuels.[354][355]
Steel manufacturing
The biggest non-oil industry is steel manufacturing.[356][357][358][359][360] United Steel Industrial Company (KWT Steel) is Kuwait's main steel manufacturing company, which caters to all of Kuwait's domestic market demands (particularly construction).[357][356][358][359] Kuwait is self-sufficient in steel.[357][356][358][359]
Agriculture
In 2016, Kuwait's food self-sufficiency ratio was 49.5% in vegetables, 38.7% in meat, 12.4% in dairy, 24.9% in fruits, and 0.4% in cereals.[361] 8.5% of Kuwait's entire territory consists of agricultural land, although arable land constitutes 0.6% of Kuwait's entire territory.[362][363] Historically, Jahra was a predominantly agricultural area. There are currently various farms in Jahra.[364]
Finance
The
Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's largest
sovereign wealth fund specializing in foreign investment. The KIA is the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund. Since 1953, the Kuwaiti government has directed investments into Europe, United States and
Asia Pacific. In 2021, the holdings were valued at around $700 billion in assets.[365][366] It is the
3rd largest sovereign wealth fund in the world.[365][366]
Kuwait has a leading position in the financial industry in the GCC.[367] The Emir has promoted the idea that Kuwait should focus its energies, in terms of economic development, on the financial industry.[367] The historical preeminence of Kuwait (among the GCC monarchies) in finance dates back to the founding of the
National Bank of Kuwait in 1952.[367] The bank was the first local publicly traded corporation in the GCC region.[367] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, an alternative stock market, trading in shares of GCC companies, emerged in Kuwait, the
Souk Al-Manakh.[367] At its peak, its market capitalization was the third highest in the world, behind only the United States and Japan, and ahead of the United Kingdom and France.[367]
Kuwait has a large wealth-management industry.[367] Kuwaiti investment companies administer more assets than those of any other GCC country, save the much larger Saudi Arabia.[367] The Kuwait Financial Centre, in a rough calculation, estimated that Kuwaiti firms accounted for over one-third of the total assets under management in the GCC.[367]
The relative strength of Kuwait in the financial industry extends to its stock market.[367] For many years, the total valuation of
all companies listed on the
Kuwait Stock Exchange far exceeded the value of those on any other GCC bourse, except Saudi Arabia.[367] In 2011, financial and banking companies made up more than half of the market capitalization of the Kuwaiti bourse; among all the GCC states, the market capitalization of Kuwaiti financial-sector firms was, in total, behind only that of Saudi Arabia.[367] In recent years, Kuwaiti investment companies have invested large percentages of their assets abroad, and their foreign assets have become substantially larger than their domestic assets.[367]
Kuwait is a major source of foreign economic assistance to other states through the
Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, an autonomous state institution created in 1961 on the pattern of international development agencies. In 1974, the fund's lending mandate was expanded to include all
developing countries in the world.
In the past five years, there has been a rise in
entrepreneurship and small business start-ups in Kuwait.[368][369] The
informal sector is also on the rise,[370] mainly due to the popularity of Instagram businesses.[371][372][373] In 2020, Kuwait ranked fourth in the MENA region in startup funding after the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.[374]
Kuwait has a state-funded healthcare system, which provides treatment without charge to Kuwaiti nationals. There are outpatient clinics in every residential area in Kuwait. A public insurance scheme exists to provide reduced cost healthcare to expatriates. Private healthcare providers also run medical facilities in the country, available to members of their insurance schemes. As part of Kuwait Vision 2035, many new hospitals recently opened.[375][376][377] In the years leading up to the
COVID-19 pandemic, Kuwait invested in its health care system at a rate that was proportionally higher than most other GCC countries.[378] Under the Kuwait Vision 2035 healthcare strategy, the public hospital sector significantly increased its capacity.[376][375][377] Many new hospitals recently opened, Kuwait currently has 20 public hospitals.[379][376][375][377] The new Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital is the largest hospital in the Middle East.[380] Kuwait also has 16 private hospitals.[375]
Private sector hospitals in Kuwait offer multiple specialities. This trend is likely to grow further, especially in tapping opportunities to reduce treatments performed overseas and develop inbound medical tourism market by developing high end speciality hospitals.[381]
Kuwait has an emerging space industry which is largely driven by private sector initiatives.[395] Seven years after the launch of the world's first communications satellite,
Telstar 1, Kuwait in October 1969 inaugurated the first satellite ground station in the Middle East, "Um Alaish".[396] The Um Alaish satellite station complex housed several satellite ground stations including Um Alaish 1 (1969), Um Alaish 2 (1977), and Um Alaish 3 (1981). It provided satellite communication services in Kuwait until 1990 when it was destroyed by the Iraqi armed forces during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.[397] In 2019, Kuwait's Orbital Space established an amateur satellite ground station to provide free access to signals from satellites in orbit passing over Kuwait. The station was named Um Alaish 4 to continue the legacy of "Um Alaish" satellite station.[398] Um Alaish 4 is a member of FUNcube distributed
ground station network[399] and the Satellite Networked Open Ground Station project (
SatNOGS).[400]
Kuwait's Orbital Space in collaboration with the Space Challenges Program[401] and
EnduroSat[402] introduced an international initiative called "Code in Space". The initiative allows students from around the world to send and execute their own code in space.[403] The code is transmitted from a satellite ground station to a
cubesat (
nanosatellite) orbiting earth 500 km (310 mi) above sea level. The code is then executed by the satellite's onboard computer and tested under real space environment conditions. The nanosatellite is called "QMR-KWT" (Arabic: قمر الكويت) which means "Moon of Kuwait", translated from Arabic.[404] QMR-KWT launched to space on 30 June 2021[405] on
SpaceXFalcon 9 Block 5 rocket and was part of the payload of a satellite carrier called ION SCV Dauntless David by D-Orbit.[406] It was deployed into its final orbit (
Sun-synchronous orbit) on 16 July 2021.[407] QMR-KWT is Kuwait's first satellite.[405][408][404]
The
Kuwait Space Rocket (KSR) is a Kuwaiti project to build and launch the first
suborbitalliquid bi-propellant rocket in
Arabia.[409] The project is divided into two phases with two separate vehicles: an initial testing phase with KSR-1 as a
test vehicle capable of reaching an altitude of 8 km (5.0 mi) and a more expansive suborbital test phase with the KSR-2 planned to fly to an altitude of 100 km (62 mi).[410]
Kuwait's Orbital Space in collaboration with the
Kuwait Scientific Center (TSCK) introduced for the first time in Kuwait the opportunity for students to send a science experiment to space. The objectives of this initiative was to allow students to learn about (a) how science space missions are done; (b)
microgravity (weightlessness) environment; (c) how to do science like a real scientist. This opportunity was made possible through Orbital Space agreement with
DreamUp PBC and
Nanoracks LLC, which are collaborating with
NASA under a Space Act Agreement.[411] The students' experiment was named "Kuwait's Experiment: E.coli Consuming Carbon Dioxide to Combat Climate Change".[412][413] The experiment was launched on
SpaceX CRS-21 (SpX-21) spaceflight to the
International Space Station (ISS) on 6 December 2020. Astronaut
Shannon Walker (member of the ISS
Expedition 64) conducted the experiment on behalf of the students. In July 2021, Kuwait University announced that it is launching a national satellite project as part of state-led efforts to pioneer the country's sustainable space sector.[414][415]
Kuwait had the highest
literacy rate in the Arab world in 2010.[416] The general education system consists of four levels:
kindergarten (lasting for 2 years),
primary (lasting for 5 years),
intermediate (lasting for 4 years) and
secondary (lasting for 3 years).[417] Schooling at primary and intermediate level is compulsory for all students aged 6 – 14. All the levels of state education, including higher education, are free.[418] The public education system is undergoing a revamp due to a project in conjunction with the
World Bank.[419][420]
There are two public universities and 14 private universities.
Tourism
Tourism in Kuwait still remains very limited due to poor infrastructure and the alcohol ban. The annual "Hala Febrayer" festival somewhat attracts tourists from neighboring GCC countries,[421] and includes a variety of events including music concerts, parades, and carnivals.[421][422][423] The festival is a month-long commemoration of the
liberation of Kuwait, and runs from 1 to 28 February.
Liberation Day itself is celebrated on 26 February.[424]
In 2020, Kuwait's domestic travel and tourism spending was $6.1 billion.[425] The
WTTC named Kuwait as one of the world's fastest-growing countries in travel and tourism
GDP in 2019, with 11.6% year-on-year growth.[425] In 2016, the tourism industry generated nearly $500 million in revenue.[426] In 2015, tourism accounted for 1.5 percent of the GDP.[427][428]Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City is one of Kuwait's biggest attractions.
Kuwait has a modern network of highways.
Roadways extended 5,749 km (3,572 mi), of which 4,887 km (3,037 mi) is paved. There are more than two million passenger cars, and 500,000 commercial taxis, buses, and trucks in use. On major highways the maximum speed is 120 km/h (75 mph). Since there is no railway system in the country, most people travel by automobiles.
The country's public transportation network consists almost entirely of bus routes. The state owned Kuwait Public Transportation Company was established in 1962. It runs local bus routes across Kuwait as well as longer distance services to other
Gulf states. The main private bus company is CityBus, which operates about 20 routes across the country. Another private bus company, Kuwait Gulf Link Public Transport Services, was started in 2006. It runs local bus routes across Kuwait and longer distance services to neighbouring Arab countries.
There are two airports in Kuwait.
Kuwait International Airport serves as the principal hub for international air travel. State-owned
Kuwait Airways is the largest airline in the country. A portion of the airport complex is designated as Al Mubarak Air Base, which contains the headquarters of the
Kuwait Air Force, as well as the Kuwait Air Force Museum. In 2004, the first private airline of Kuwait,
Jazeera Airways, was launched. In 2005, the second private airline,
Wataniya Airways was founded.
Kuwait has one of the largest shipping industries in the region. The Kuwait Ports Public Authority manages and operates ports across Kuwait. The country's principal commercial seaports are
Shuwaikh and Shuaiba, which handled combined cargo of 753,334 TEU in 2006.[435] Mina Al-Ahmadi is the largest port in the country.
Mubarak Al Kabeer Port in
Bubiyan Island is currently under construction. The port is expected to handle 2 million
TEU when operations start.
Kuwait's 2023 population was 4.82 million people, of which 1.53 million were Kuwaitis and 3.29 million expatriates.[15]
Ethnic groups
Expatriates in Kuwait account for around 60% of Kuwait's total population. At the end of December 2018, 57.65% of Kuwait's total population were
Arabs (including Arab expats).[436]Indians and
Egyptians are the largest expat communities respectively.[437][15]
Kuwait's official state religion is
Maliki Sunni Islam. The
Al Sabah ruling family adhere to the
Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Most Kuwaiti citizens are Muslim; there is no official national census but it is estimated that 60%–70% are Sunni and 30%–40% are Shia.[438][439] There are an estimated 837,585 Christians (31 December 2020), or 17.93% of the population,[436] the country includes a
native Christian community, estimated to be composed of between 259 and 400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens.[440] Kuwait is the only
GCC country besides Bahrain to have a local Christian population who hold citizenship. There is also a small number of Kuwaiti citizens who follow the
Baháʼí Faith.[441][442] Kuwait also has a large community of expatriate
Christians,
Hindus,
Buddhists, and
Sikhs.[441]
Most Christians in Kuwait are from Kerala mainly the
Malankara Orthodox, Mar Thoma, and Roman Catholic Churches. The first Malankara Orthodox parish was
St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Pazhayapally Ahmadi. Between the 22nd and 28 February 1965, there was the first Holy Apostolic Visit by the
Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Augen I along with H.G. Daniel Mar Philexinos of
Thumpamon and H. G. Paulose Mar Philexinos of
Kandanad with The Holy relics of St. Thomas.
Kuwait's official language is
Modern Standard Arabic, but its everyday usage is limited to journalism and education.
Kuwaiti Arabic is the variant of Arabic used in everyday life.[443] English is widely understood and often used as a business language. Besides English, French is taught as a third language for the students of the
humanities at schools, but for two years only. Kuwaiti Arabic is a variant of
Gulf Arabic, sharing similarities with the dialects of neighboring coastal areas in Eastern Arabia.[444] Due to immigration during its pre-oil history as well as trade, Kuwaiti Arabic borrowed a lot of words from
Persian,
Indian languages,
Balochi language, Turkish, English and Italian.[445]
Kuwaiti
popular culture, in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states.[22][455] Within the
Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture of
Bahrain; this is evident in the close association between the two states in theatrical productions and soap operas.[456]
Kuwait has the oldest
performing arts industry in the Arabian Peninsula.[457] Kuwait's television drama industry is the largest and most active Gulf Arab drama industry and annually produces a minimum of fifteen serials.[458][459][460] Kuwait is the main production centre of the Gulf television drama and comedy scene.[459] Most Gulf television drama and comedy productions are filmed in Kuwait.[459][461][462] Kuwaiti soap operas are the most-watched soap operas from the Gulf region.[458][463][464] Soap operas are most popular during the time of
Ramadan, when families gather to break their fast.[465] Although usually performed in the
Kuwaiti dialect, they have been shown with success as far away as
Tunisia.[466] Kuwait is frequently dubbed the "
Hollywood of the Gulf" due to the popularity of its television soap operas and theatre.[467][468]
Kuwait is the main centre of
scenographic and
performing arts education in the GCC region.[469][470] Many famous Middle Eastern actors and singers attribute their success to training in Kuwait.[471] The Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts (HIDA) provides
higher education in theatrical arts.[470] The institute has several divisions and attracts theatrical students from all over the GCC region. Many actors have graduated from the institute, such as
Souad Abdullah, Mohammed Khalifa,
Mansour Al-Mansour, along with a number of prominent critics such as
Ismail Fahd Ismail.
Kuwait is known for its home-grown tradition of
theatre.[472][473][474] Kuwait is the only country in the Gulf Arab region with a theatrical tradition.[472] The theatrical movement in Kuwait constitutes a major part of the country's cultural life.[475] Theatrical activities in Kuwait date back to the 1920s when the first spoken dramas were released.[476] Theatre activities are still popular today.[475]
Theatre in Kuwait is
subsidized by the government, previously by the Ministry of Social Affairs and now by the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL).[477] Every urban district has a public theatre.[478] The public theatre in
Salmiya is named after actor
Abdulhussain Abdulredha. The annual Kuwait Theater Festival is the largest theatrical arts festival in Kuwait.
Kuwait is the birthplace of various popular musical genres, such as
sawt and
fijiri.[479][480] Traditional Kuwaiti music is a reflection of the country's seafaring heritage,[481] which was influenced by many diverse cultures.[482][483][479] Kuwait is widely considered the centre of
traditional music in the GCC region.[479] Kuwaiti music has considerably influenced the music culture in other GCC countries.[484][480] Kuwait pioneered
contemporary Khaliji music.[485][486][487] Kuwaitis were the first commercial recording artists in the Gulf region.[485][486][487] The first known Kuwaiti recordings were made between 1912 and 1915.[488]Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity pioneered the Kuwaiti sawt music genre and wrote over 650 songs, many of which are considered traditional and still played daily on radio stations both in Kuwait and the rest of the Arab world.[480][489][490][491][492][493]
Kuwait is home to various
music festivals, including the International Music Festival hosted by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL).[494][495] The
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre contains the largest opera house in the Middle East.[496] Kuwait has several academic institutions specializing in university-level
music education.[497][498] The Higher Institute of Musical Arts was established by the government to provide
bachelor's degrees in music.[499][497][498] In addition, the College of Basic Education offers bachelor's degrees in music education.[499][497][498] The Institute of Musical Studies offers music education qualifications equivalent to
secondary school.[499][498][497]
Kuwait has a reputation for being the central music influence of the GCC countries.[500] Over the last decade of satellite television stations, many Kuwaiti musicians have become household names in other Arab countries. For example,
Bashar Al Shatty became famous due to Star Academy. Contemporary Kuwaiti music is popular throughout the Arab world.
Nawal El Kuwaiti, Nabeel Shoail and
Abdallah Al Rowaished are the most popular contemporary performers.[501]
Kuwait has the oldest
modern arts movement in the Arabian Peninsula.[502][503][504] Beginning in 1936, Kuwait was the first Gulf Arab country to grant scholarships in the arts.[502] The Kuwaiti artist
Mojeb al-Dousari was the earliest recognized
visual artist in the Gulf Arab region.[505] He is regarded as the founder of
portrait art in the region.[506] The Sultan Gallery was the first professional Arab art gallery in the Gulf.[507][508]
The government organizes various
arts festivals, including the
Al Qurain Cultural Festival and Formative Arts Festival.[516][517][518] The Kuwait International Biennial was inaugurated in 1967,[519] more than 20 Arab and foreign countries have participated in the biennial.[519] Prominent participants include
Layla Al-Attar. In 2004, the Al Kharafi Biennial for Contemporary Arab Art was inaugurated.
Kuwaiti cuisine is a fusion of
Arabian,
Iranian, and
Mesopotamian cuisines. Kuwaiti cuisine is part of the
Eastern Arabian cuisine. A prominent dish in Kuwaiti cuisine is machboos, a rice-based dish usually prepared with
basmati rice seasoned with spices, and chicken or mutton.
Seafood is a significant part of the Kuwaiti diet, especially
fish.[520]Mutabbaq samak is a national dish in Kuwait. Other local favourites are hamour (
grouper), which is typically served grilled, fried, or with
biryani rice because of its texture and taste; safi (
rabbitfish); maid (
mulletfish); and sobaity (
sea bream).
Kuwait's traditional
flatbread is called Iranian khubz. It is a large flatbread baked in a special oven and it is often topped with sesame seeds. Numerous local bakeries dot the country; the bakers are mainly Iranians (hence the name of the bread, "Iranian khubuz"). Bread is often served with
mahyawa fish sauce.
Several Kuwaiti museums are devoted to
Islamic art, most notably the
Tareq Rajab Museums and
Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah cultural centres.[521][528][529][530] The Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah cultural centres include education wings, conservation labs, and research libraries.[530][531] There are several
art libraries in Kuwait.[532][530][533][531]Khalifa Al-Qattan's Mirror House is the most popular art museum in Kuwait.[534] Many museums in Kuwait are private enterprises.[535][528] In contrast to the top-down approach in other Gulf states, museum development in Kuwait reflects a greater sense of civic identity and demonstrates the strength of civil society in Kuwait, which has produced many independent cultural enterprises.[536][528][535]
Society
Urban Kuwaiti society is more
open than other Gulf Arab societies.[537] Kuwaiti citizens are ethnically diverse, consisting of both Arabs and
Persians ('Ajam).[538][539][540] Kuwait stands out in the region as the most liberal in empowering women in the public sphere.[541][542][543]Kuwaiti women outnumber men in the workforce.[272] Kuwaiti political scientist Ghanim Alnajjar sees these qualities as a manifestation of Kuwaiti society as a whole, whereby in the Gulf Arab region it is "the least strict about traditions".[544]
Media
Kuwait produces more
newspapers and magazines per capita than its neighbors.[545][546] The state-owned
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) is the largest media house in the country. The Ministry of Information regulates the media industry in Kuwait. Kuwait's media is annually classified as partly free in the
Freedom of Press survey by Freedom House.[547] Since 2005,[548] Kuwait has frequently earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries in the annual
Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.[549][550][551][552][553][554][555][556][557] In 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014, Kuwait surpassed Israel as the country with the greatest press freedom in the Middle East.[549][550][551][552][556] Kuwait is also frequently ranked as the Arab country with the greatest press freedom in Freedom House's annual Freedom of Press survey.[558][559][560][561][562][563][564]
Kuwait has 15 satellite television channels, of which four are controlled by the Ministry of Information. State-owned
Kuwait Television (KTV) offered first colored broadcast in 1974 and operates five television channels. Government-funded Radio Kuwait also offers daily informative programming in several languages including
Arabic,
Persian,
Urdu, and English on the
AM and
SW.
Kuwait has in recent years produced several prominent contemporary writers such as
Ismail Fahd Ismail, author of over twenty novels and numerous short story collections. There is also evidence that Kuwaiti literature has long been interactive with
English and
French literature.[565]
Basketball is one of the country's most popular sports. The
Kuwait national basketball team is governed by the Kuwait Basketball Association (KBA). Kuwait made its international debut in 1959. The national team has been to the
FIBA Asian Championship in basketball eleven times. The
Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League is the highest professional basketball league in Kuwait.
Cricket in Kuwait is governed by the
Kuwait Cricket Association. Other growing sports include
rugby union.
Handball is widely considered to be the national icon of Kuwait, although football is more popular among the overall population.
In May 2022, Kuwait hosted the Third Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Games at the 360 Marina. The event featured 16 different sports, including volleyball, basketball, swimming, athletics, karate and judo and attracted over 1,700 male and female players.[571]
^Woertz, Eckart; Ajl, Max (2018). "Wise cities" in the Mediterranean? : challenges of urban sustainability. Barcelona: Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.
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^Carter, Robert (2002). "Ubaid-period boat remains from As-Sabiyah: excavations by the British Archaeological Expedition to Kuwait". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 32: 13–30.
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^Nyrop, Richard F. (2008). Richard F. Nyrop (ed.).
Area Handbook for the Persian Gulf States. Wildside Press LLC. p. 11.
ISBN9781434462107. From about 4000 to 2000 B.C. the civilization of Dilmun dominated 250 miles of the eastern coast of Arabia from present-day Kuwait to Bahrain and extended sixty miles into the interior to the oasis of Hufuf (see fig. 2).
^Connan, Jacques; Carter, Robert (2007). "A geochemical study of bituminous mixtures from Failaka and Umm an-Namel (Kuwait), from the Early Dilmun to the Early Islamic period". Jacques Connan, Robert Carter. 18 (2): 139–181.
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^Jesper Eidema, Flemming Højlund (1993). "Trade or diplomacy? Assyria and Dilmun in the eighteenth century BC". World Archaeology. 24 (3): 441–448.
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^"Hellenism in the East"(PDF). Amelie Kuhrt, Susan Sherwin-White. 1987.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2021. To the south of Characene, on Failaka, the north wall of the fort was pushed forward, before occupation ceased around 100 BC.
^Hill, Bennett D.; Beck, Roger B.; Clare Haru Crowston (2008).
A History of World Societies, Combined Volume(PDF). p. 165. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 3 December 2013. Centered in the fertile Tigris- Euphrates Valley, but with access to the Persian Gulf and extending south to Meshan (modern Kuwait), the Sassanid Empire's economic prosperity rested on agriculture; its location also proved well suited for commerce.
^Falk, Avner (1996).
A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 330.
ISBN9780838636602. In 224 he defeated the Parthian army of Ardavan Shah (Artabanus V), taking Isfahan, Kerman, Elam (Elymais) and Meshan (Mesene, Spasinu Charax, or Characene).
^Cohen, Abraham (1980).
Ancient Jewish Proverbs. Library of Alexandria.
ISBN9781465526786. The large and small measures roll down and reach Sheol; from Sheol they proceed to Tadmor (Palmyra), from Tadmor to Meshan (Mesene), and from Meshan to Harpanya (Hipparenum).
^Kennet, Derek; Blair, Andrew; Ulrich, Brian; Al-Duwīsh, Sultan M. (2011). "The Kadhima Project: investigating an Early Islamic settlement and landscape on Kuwait Bay". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 41. jstor.org: 161–172.
JSTOR41622130.
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abCasey, Michael (2007). The history of Kuwait – Greenwood histories of modern nations. Greenwood.
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^"ʻAlam-i Nisvāṉ". University of Karachi. 1995. p. 18.
Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Kuwait became an important trading port for import and export of goods from India, Africa and Arabia.
^Lauterpacht, Elihu; Greenwood, C. J.; Weller, Marc (1991).
The Kuwait Crisis: Basic Documents. Cambridge international documents series, Issue 1. Cambridge, UK: Research Centre for International Law, Cambridge University Press. p. 4.
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^
abToth, Anthony B. (2005). "Losses in the Saudi and Iraqi Struggles over Kuwait's Frontiers, 1921–1943". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 32 (2): 145–67.
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JSTOR30037690.
S2CID154636834.
^
abBatatu, Hanna 1978. "The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba'athists and Free Officers" Princeton p. 189
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abSajjad, Valiya S.
"Kuwait Literary Scene A Little Complex". Arab Times. Archived from
the original on 29 November 2014. A magazine, Al Arabi, was published in 1958 in Kuwait. It was the most popular magazine in the Arab world. It came out it in all the Arabic countries, and about a quarter million copies were published every month.
^Sager, Abdulaziz; Koch, Christian; Tawfiq Ibrahim, Hasanain, eds. (2008).
Gulf Yearbook 2006–2007. I. B. Tauris. p. 39. The Kuwaiti press has always enjoyed a level of freedom unparalleled in any other Arab country.
^Bourisly, Nibal K.; Al-hajji, Maher N. (2004).
"Kuwait's National Day: Four Decades of Transformed Celebrations". In Fuller, Linda K. (ed.). National Days/national Ways: Historical, Political, and Religious Celebrations Around the World. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 125–126.
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Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
^Al-Nakib, Farah (1 March 2014). "Towards an Urban Alternative for Kuwait: Protests and Public Participation". Built Environment. 40 (1): 101–117.
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^Muslim Education Quarterly. Vol. 8. Islamic Academy. 1990. p. 61.
Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2021. Kuwait is a primary example of a Muslim society which embraced liberal and Western attitudes throughout the sixties and seventies.
^
abJames Paul & Martin Spirit; Robinson, Peter (2008).
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the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
^Helene von Bismarck, "The Kuwait Crisis of 1961 and its Consequences for Great Britain's Persian Gulf Policy", in British Scholar, vol. II, no. 1 (September 2009) pp. 75–96
^Helene von Bismarck, "The Kuwait Crisis of 1961 and its Consequences for Great Britain's Persian Gulf Policy" British Scholar, vol. II, no. 1 (September 2009) pp. 75–96
^Jones, D. A.; Nithyanandan, M.; Williams, I. (4 June 2012). "Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City Kuwait: development of a sustainable man-made coastal ecosystem in a saline desert". Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management. 15: 84–92.
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^
abc"Kuwait: Selected Issues"(PDF). p. 17.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 30 October 2014. Kuwait has higher female labor market participation than other GCC countries; further improvements in labor force participation can support future growth prospects. Kuwait's labor force participation rate for Kuwaiti women (53 percent) is slightly above the world average (51 percent) and much higher than the
MENA average (21 percent).
^
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^Cafiero, Giorgio (12 August 2020).
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^Nyrop, Richard F. (1985).
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Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2014. In addition, Kuwait has established a secular legal system, unique among the Gulf states.
^ILGA World; Lucas Ramón Mendos (2019).
State-Sponsored Homophobia(PDF) (Report) (13th ed.). International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. pp. 201, 444–446. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
^Elbeheri, Gad; Everatt, John; Malki, Mohammad Al (2009). "The incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait". Dyslexia. 15 (2): 86–104.
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^Fido, Abdullahi; Al-Jabally, Maher (1993). "Presence of psychiatric morbidity in prison population in Kuwait". Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 5 (2): 107–110.
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^
ab"RLA hailed for expertise on Kuwait development". Hospitality Net. 23 February 2021. In 2020, domestic travel and tourism spending for Kuwait reached $6.1bn, up from $1.6bn, with family tourism a rapidly-growing segment.
^Alawi, Ali (6 March 2013).
"Ali's roadtrip from Bahrain to Kuwait (PHOTOS)". Archived from
the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016. The trip to Kuwait – a country that has built a deep connection with people in the Persian Gulf thanks to its significant drama productions in theater, television, and even music – started with 25 kilometers of spectacular sea view
^
abAl Mukrashi, Fahad (22 August 2015).
"Omanis turn their backs on local dramas". Gulf News.
Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Kuwait's drama industry tops other Gulf drama as it has very prominent actors and actresses, enough scripts and budgets, produces fifteen serials annually at least.
^"Closer cultural relations between the two countries". Oman Daily Observer. 20 February 2017. Archived from
the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017. The Kuwaiti television is considered the most active in the Gulf Arab region, as it has contributed to the development of television drama in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf region. Therefore, all the classics of the Gulf television drama are today Kuwaiti dramas by Kuwaiti actors
^"Big plans for small screens". BroadcastPro Me. Archived from
the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016. Around 90% of Khaleeji productions take place in Kuwait.
^
ab"Shooting the Past". y-oman.com. 11 July 2013. Archived from
the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016. Most Omanis who get to study drama abroad tend to go to Kuwait or Egypt. In the Gulf, Kuwait has long been a pioneer in theatre, film and television since the establishment of its Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts (HIDA) in 1973. By contrast, there is no drama college or film school in Oman, although there is a drama course at Sultan Qaboos University.
^Rubin, Don, ed. (1999).
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^Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 351–354. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.
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^"Press Freedom".
Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Since 2005, Kuwait has earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries on the annual Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders.
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Tausch, Arno (2021). The Future of the Gulf Region: Value Change and Global Cycles. Gulf Studies, Volume 2, edited by Prof. Mizanur Rahman, Qatar University (1st ed.). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
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Woertz, Eckart. "Wither the self-sufficiency illusion? Food security in Arab Gulf States and the impact of COVID-19." Food Security 12.4 (2020): 757-760.
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