Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Kuwait
Kuwait: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) was 37.45 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
37.45 billion current US$
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
66th
of 206 countries
All-time high
37.45 billion current US$
in 2023
All-time low
274.80 million current US$
in 1963
Years of data
60
1963–2023
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Kuwait, 1963–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Kuwait stood at 37.45 billion current US$. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Kuwait peaked at 37.45 billion current US$ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 274.80 million current US$, in 1963.
Kuwait ranks 66th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 274.80 million current US$ | — |
| 1964 | 289.10 million current US$ | +5.2% |
| 1966 | 440.10 million current US$ | +52.2% |
| 1967 | 566.40 million current US$ | +28.7% |
| 1968 | 589.40 million current US$ | +4.1% |
| 1969 | 622.60 million current US$ | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 597.10 million current US$ | -4.1% |
| 1971 | 622.40 million current US$ | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 770.20 million current US$ | +23.7% |
| 1973 | 1.01 billion current US$ | +31.2% |
| 1974 | 1.48 billion current US$ | +46.1% |
| 1975 | 2.29 billion current US$ | +55.3% |
| 1976 | 3.19 billion current US$ | +39.2% |
| 1977 | 4.62 billion current US$ | +44.8% |
| 1978 | 4.42 billion current US$ | -4.4% |
| 1979 | 4.96 billion current US$ | +12.4% |
| 1980 | 6.30 billion current US$ | +27.0% |
| 1981 | 6.78 billion current US$ | +7.7% |
| 1982 | 8.02 billion current US$ | +18.2% |
| 1983 | 7.14 billion current US$ | -11.0% |
| 1984 | 6.66 billion current US$ | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 5.89 billion current US$ | -11.6% |
| 1986 | 5.62 billion current US$ | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 5.39 billion current US$ | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 6.03 billion current US$ | +11.8% |
| 1989 | 6.18 billion current US$ | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 3.17 billion current US$ | -48.8% |
| 1991 | 3.06 billion current US$ | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 5.93 billion current US$ | +93.6% |
| 1993 | 6.94 billion current US$ | +17.1% |
| 1994 | 6.61 billion current US$ | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 7.69 billion current US$ | +16.4% |
| 1996 | 8.15 billion current US$ | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 8.21 billion current US$ | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 8.62 billion current US$ | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 7.61 billion current US$ | -11.6% |
| 2000 | 7.16 billion current US$ | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 7.87 billion current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 9.00 billion current US$ | +14.4% |
| 2003 | 10.98 billion current US$ | +22.0% |
| 2004 | 14.52 billion current US$ | +32.3% |
| 2005 | 16.66 billion current US$ | +14.7% |
| 2006 | 17.21 billion current US$ | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 21.32 billion current US$ | +23.9% |
| 2008 | 25.99 billion current US$ | +21.9% |
| 2009 | 17.87 billion current US$ | -31.2% |
| 2010 | 22.67 billion current US$ | +26.9% |
| 2011 | 28.74 billion current US$ | +26.7% |
| 2012 | 30.58 billion current US$ | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 29.63 billion current US$ | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 31.47 billion current US$ | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 30.94 billion current US$ | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 30.63 billion current US$ | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 33.51 billion current US$ | +9.4% |
| 2018 | 35.56 billion current US$ | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 33.44 billion current US$ | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 20.98 billion current US$ | -37.2% |
| 2021 | 31.84 billion current US$ | +51.7% |
| 2022 | 35.90 billion current US$ | +12.7% |
| 2023 | 37.45 billion current US$ | +4.3% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 37.45 billion current US$ is below the median for high income countries, which is 45.81 billion current US$, 82% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 37.45 billion current US$ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.54 billion current US$, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 463.73 million current US$ | 274.80 million current US$ | 622.60 million current US$ | 6 |
| 1970s | 2.40 billion current US$ | 597.10 million current US$ | 4.96 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.40 billion current US$ | 5.39 billion current US$ | 8.02 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.60 billion current US$ | 3.06 billion current US$ | 8.62 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.86 billion current US$ | 7.16 billion current US$ | 25.99 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.72 billion current US$ | 22.67 billion current US$ | 35.56 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.54 billion current US$ | 20.98 billion current US$ | 37.45 billion current US$ | 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$), annual growth rate -4.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Kuwait?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Kuwait was 37.45 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 37.45 billion current US$ in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 274.80 million current US$ in 1963.
- How does Kuwait rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Kuwait ranks 66th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. 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 imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.