Kuwait at its true size
Kuwait covers 17,818 km², number 153 of 194 countries by area. Home to 4,865,298 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 17,818 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 4,865,298 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 273 per km² |
| Capital | Kuwait City |
| Local time in Kuwait City | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OPEC |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +965 |
| Codes | KW · KWT · 414 |
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Where Kuwait ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#126 of 1944.9 million people#38 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#32 of 194273 people per km²#15 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#1 of 192100% urban#1 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#127 of 1921.56 births per woman#35 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#184 of 192−0.65% a year#46 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#140 of 19210.0 births per 1,000 people#39 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#190 of 1921.5 deaths per 1,000 people#45 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#128 of 19218.0% under 15#39 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#161 of 1923.2% aged 65 and over#41 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#10 of 192+8.8 per 1,000 people#6 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#68 of 1900.69 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#15 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#3 of 19284.6 years#1 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#132 of 1917.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#35 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#79 of 1782.27 doctors per 1,000 people#19 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#74 of 14551.9% gross enrolment#19 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#51 of 190an index of 0.852#12 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#27 of 185$41,110 a person#5 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#1 of 184100% online#1 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#37 of 184$56,468 a person#10 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#111 of 187+2.7% a year#33 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#103 of 176+2.4% a year#21 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#158 of 1782.2% of the labour force#38 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#159 of 1781.9% of jobs#41 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#44 of 17824.6% of jobs#19 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#36 of 17873.5% of jobs#9 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#154 of 1840.3% of GDP#39 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#35 of 16855.8% of GDP#14 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#11 of 1554.7% of GDP#8 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#16 of 191168 subscriptions per 100 people#7 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#4 of 18523.7 tonnes a person#3 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#185 of 1920% forest#45 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#183 of 1900.1% renewable#41 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#6 of 19162.3 µg/m³#4 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#98 of 19117.1% of the land protected#21 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#183 of 1900.4% of the land arable#46 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#1 of 1763,850.5% of its available fresh water#1 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#171 of 180121 mm a year#42 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Kuwait’s area, lit up on the map →
- Fiji0.98×Kuwait and Fiji are almost exactly the same size.
- Eswatini1.03×Kuwait and Eswatini are almost exactly the same size.
- Slovenia0.88×Kuwait is 12% smaller than Slovenia.
- Israel0.86×Kuwait is 14% smaller than Israel.
- El Salvador0.85×Kuwait is 15% smaller than El Salvador.
- Timor-Leste1.19×Kuwait is 19% larger than Timor-Leste.
How many times does Kuwait fit into…
- Russia: about 958 times
- Canada: about 560 times
- United States: about 552 times
Neighbours
Questions about Kuwait
- How big is Kuwait?
- Kuwait covers 17,818 km², which makes it number 153 of 194 countries by area. About 4,865,298 people live there (2025), 273 per km².
- Is Kuwait bigger than Fiji?
- Kuwait and Fiji are almost exactly the same size. Kuwait: 17,818 km²; Fiji: 18,274 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Kuwait?
- Kuwait lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Kuwait?
- Kuwait shares a land border with Saudi Arabia, Iraq.