Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World in Kuwait
Kuwait: Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World was 52.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World in Kuwait, 1973–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise exports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise exports to economies in the arab world in Kuwait stood at 52.7%.
The figure is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise exports to economies in the arab world in Kuwait peaked at 54.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1996.
Kuwait ranks 6th of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 4.5% | — |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -46.0% |
| 1975 | 7.2% | +199.6% |
| 1976 | 7.4% | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 7.8% | +5.8% |
| 1978 | 7.1% | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 6.5% | -9.4% |
| 1980 | 8.1% | +25.3% |
| 1981 | 14.1% | +74.1% |
| 1982 | 20.3% | +44.3% |
| 1983 | 11.4% | -43.7% |
| 1984 | 10.6% | -7.4% |
| 1985 | 11.0% | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 8.6% | -22.6% |
| 1987 | 7.2% | -16.0% |
| 1988 | 10.0% | +39.3% |
| 1989 | 7.7% | -22.7% |
| 1990 | 7.1% | -7.6% |
| 1991 | 19.6% | +173.9% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -86.3% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -23.3% |
| 1995 | 43.0% | +2092.3% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | -96.0% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | +22.0% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +37.5% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | +10.3% |
| 2000 | 44.7% | +1316.0% |
| 2001 | 50.0% | +12.0% |
| 2002 | 50.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 50.0% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 50.0% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 50.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 50.0% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 50.0% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 46.6% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 45.5% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 51.4% | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 42.3% | -17.7% |
| 2019 | 51.5% | +21.8% |
| 2020 | 54.0% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 52.9% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 49.8% | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 52.7% | +5.7% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 52.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 24.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 52.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10.7%, 4.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +2092.3% | 2.0% | 43.0% |
| 2000 | +1316.0% | 3.2% | 44.7% |
| 1975 | +199.6% | 2.4% | 7.2% |
| 1991 | +173.9% | 7.1% | 19.6% |
| 1996 | -96.0% | 43.0% | 1.7% |
| 1992 | -86.3% | 19.6% | 2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.1% | 2.4% | 7.8% | 7 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 7.2% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.7% | 1.7% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 44.7% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7% | 42.3% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.3% | 49.8% | 54.0% | 4 |
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 merchandise exports to economies in the arab world in Kuwait?
- Merchandise exports to economies in the arab world in Kuwait was 52.7% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise exports to economies in the arab world recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 54.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest merchandise exports to economies in the arab world recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1996.
- How does Kuwait rank for merchandise exports to economies in the arab world?
- Kuwait ranks 6th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise exports to economies in the arab world rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World are the sum of merchandise exports by the reporting economy to economies in the Arab World. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.