Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Kuwait
Kuwait: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South was 6.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South 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 south in Kuwait stood at 6.7%.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 38.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Kuwait peaked at 7.0% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1991.
Kuwait ranks 43rd of 205 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 60 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 5.3% | — |
| 1964 | 5.5% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 5.7% | +3.5% |
| 1967 | 4.8% | -15.8% |
| 1968 | 6.3% | +31.3% |
| 1969 | 7.0% | +10.4% |
| 1970 | 6.4% | -8.4% |
| 1971 | 5.1% | -20.1% |
| 1972 | 5.1% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 4.7% | -7.3% |
| 1974 | 4.6% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 4.1% | -11.9% |
| 1976 | 5.4% | +33.0% |
| 1977 | 5.1% | -5.4% |
| 1978 | 4.8% | -6.1% |
| 1979 | 4.4% | -7.7% |
| 1980 | 3.6% | -18.5% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | -12.4% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -7.9% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 3.3% | +13.3% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | -18.0% |
| 1989 | 3.7% | +38.0% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | -22.6% |
| 1991 | 1.8% | -37.3% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | +104.7% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -41.9% |
| 1994 | 3.6% | +67.1% |
| 1995 | 3.5% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | +12.2% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 4.2% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 5.2% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 4.9% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | +33.0% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 6.6% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | -25.2% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 6.5% | +18.8% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 6.6% | +8.8% |
| 2020 | 5.9% | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 6.5% | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 6.7% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -0.4% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 6.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.3%, 5.2× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 6.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.2%, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +104.7% | 1.8% | 3.7% |
| 1994 | +67.1% | 2.1% | 3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.8% | 4.8% | 7.0% | 6 |
| 1970s | 5.0% | 4.1% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 1.8% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 4.7% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 4.8% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 5.9% | 6.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 40 Democratic Republic of Congo 6.7% compare
- 41 Qatar 6.7% compare
- 42 Ghana 6.7% compare
- 44 East Timor 6.3% compare
- 45 Saudi Arabia 6.1% compare
- 46 Cote d'Ivoire 5.9% compare
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 south in Kuwait?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Kuwait was 6.7% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 7.0% in 1969.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1991.
- How does Kuwait rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south?
- Kuwait ranks 43rd out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 South Asia (% 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 South Asia are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the South Asia 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.