Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Kuwait
Kuwait: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East was 24.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Kuwait, 1963–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Kuwait stood at 24.5%. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Kuwait peaked at 24.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1963.
That places Kuwait 63rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1.1% | — |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +93.4% |
| 1966 | 4.1% | +99.3% |
| 1967 | 3.7% | -8.0% |
| 1968 | 4.6% | +22.4% |
| 1969 | 4.5% | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 4.2% | -8.0% |
| 1971 | 4.4% | +6.8% |
| 1972 | 4.2% | -6.0% |
| 1973 | 4.6% | +10.9% |
| 1974 | 4.7% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | -46.1% |
| 1976 | 2.9% | +15.1% |
| 1977 | 3.3% | +14.6% |
| 1978 | 2.8% | -16.5% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | +19.6% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | -5.3% |
| 1981 | 3.0% | -5.1% |
| 1982 | 2.6% | -12.7% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | +16.9% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | +9.9% |
| 1987 | 4.4% | +34.8% |
| 1988 | 6.0% | +34.1% |
| 1989 | 6.8% | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 6.8% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | -48.7% |
| 1992 | 5.5% | +59.7% |
| 1993 | 4.2% | -24.9% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | +52.2% |
| 1995 | 6.3% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 6.6% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 6.5% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 7.5% | +14.9% |
| 2000 | 8.4% | +12.7% |
| 2001 | 8.7% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 9.4% | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 9.6% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 14.2% | +47.9% |
| 2005 | 13.8% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 13.3% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | +16.1% |
| 2008 | 17.0% | +9.8% |
| 2009 | 16.6% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 16.5% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 21.2% | +28.9% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 18.0% | -10.9% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 21.9% | +13.7% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 20.8% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 21.2% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 23.0% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 23.2% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 24.5% | +5.8% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 24.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.5%, 2.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 24.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 19.6%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +99.3% | 2.0% | 4.1% |
| 1964 | +93.4% | 1.1% | 2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.3% | 1.1% | 4.6% | 6 |
| 1970s | 3.7% | 2.5% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 2.5% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 3.5% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.6% | 8.4% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.2% | 16.5% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.2% | 22.2% | 24.5% | 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 from low- and middle-income economies in east in Kuwait?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Kuwait was 24.5% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1963.
- How does Kuwait rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east?
- Kuwait ranks 63rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. 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 imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports). 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 from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia and Pacific are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the East Asia and Pacific region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.