International tourism, expenditures in Kuwait
Kuwait: International tourism, expenditures was 6.70 billion current US$ in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, expenditures in Kuwait, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, expenditures in Kuwait is 6.70 billion current US$, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 57.7% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in Kuwait peaked at 15.84 billion current US$ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.51 billion current US$, in 1995.
That places Kuwait 23rd out of 192 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, expenditures in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2.51 billion current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 2.78 billion current US$ | +10.5% |
| 1997 | 2.68 billion current US$ | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.82 billion current US$ | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 2.57 billion current US$ | -8.8% |
| 2000 | 2.85 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 2001 | 3.21 billion current US$ | +12.4% |
| 2002 | 3.41 billion current US$ | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 3.75 billion current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2004 | 4.15 billion current US$ | +10.6% |
| 2005 | 5.00 billion current US$ | +20.5% |
| 2006 | 6.07 billion current US$ | +21.6% |
| 2007 | 7.27 billion current US$ | +19.6% |
| 2008 | 8.34 billion current US$ | +14.8% |
| 2009 | 6.80 billion current US$ | -18.5% |
| 2010 | 7.11 billion current US$ | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 8.88 billion current US$ | +25.0% |
| 2012 | 10.07 billion current US$ | +13.4% |
| 2013 | 10.57 billion current US$ | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 12.28 billion current US$ | +16.2% |
| 2015 | 13.15 billion current US$ | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 13.23 billion current US$ | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 13.72 billion current US$ | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 14.32 billion current US$ | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 15.84 billion current US$ | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 6.70 billion current US$ | -57.7% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 6.70 billion current US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.33 billion current US$, 5.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 6.70 billion current US$ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.51 billion current US$, 4.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, expenditures in Kuwait changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -57.7% | 15.84 billion current US$ | 6.70 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.67 billion current US$ | 2.51 billion current US$ | 2.82 billion current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.08 billion current US$ | 2.85 billion current US$ | 8.34 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.92 billion current US$ | 7.11 billion current US$ | 15.84 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.70 billion current US$ | 6.70 billion current US$ | 6.70 billion current US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More private sector data for Kuwait
- Merchandise trade 72.3% (2025)
- Food imports 17.5% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 73.2% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 41.61 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 0.6% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 8.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 72.07 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 14,814 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4585 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -4.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in Kuwait?
- International tourism, expenditures in Kuwait was 6.70 billion current US$ in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 15.84 billion current US$ in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.51 billion current US$ in 1995.
- How does Kuwait rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- Kuwait ranks 23rd out of 192 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.