Country comparison
Kuwait Saudi Arabia
How do Kuwait and Saudi Arabia compare on area, population, economy and living standards? Every figure below comes from open data, computed at build time.
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia at a glance
- Kuwait's surface area is smaller: about 1% of Saudi Arabia's (16,665 km² vs 1,924,285 km²).
- Kuwait's population is smaller: about 13% of Saudi Arabia's (4.9M vs 37M).
- Kuwait's GDP (total) is smaller: about 12% of Saudi Arabia's ($157.2B vs $1.3T).
- Kuwait's GDP per capita is about 94% of Saudi Arabia's.
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KuwaitSaudi Arabia — Kuwait's GDP per capita is about 94% of Saudi Arabia's.
| Metric | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | A vs B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population & land | |||
| Population | 4.9M (2025) | 37M (2025) | 13% |
| Population growth | -0.7% (2025) | 4.6% (2025) | N/A |
| Urban population share | 100.0% (2025) | 84.6% (2025) | 1.2× |
| Population aged 65+ | 3.2% (2025) | 3.1% (2025) | 1.0× |
| Fertility rate | 1.6 (2024) | 2.3 (2024) | 68% |
| Birth rate | 10.0‰ (2024) | 16.5‰ (2024) | 61% |
| Death rate | 1.5‰ (2024) | 2.3‰ (2024) | 65% |
| Net migration | 42.8K (2025) | 119.7K (2025) | 36% |
| Surface area | 16,665 km² | 1,924,285 km² | 1% |
| Population densityderived | 292/km² (2025) | 19.2/km² (2025) | 15× |
| Economy | |||
| GDP (total) | $157.2B (2025) | $1.3T (2025) | 12% |
| GDP per capita | $32,312 (2025) | $34,537 (2025) | 94% |
| GNI per capita | $41,110 (2024) | $36,070 (2025) | 1.1× |
| GDP growth (annual) | 2.7% (2025) | 4.5% (2025) | 61% |
| Inflation rate | 2.4% (2025) | 2.1% (2025) | 1.1× |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% (2025) | 3.0% (2025) | 72% |
| Gini index | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Poverty rate ($2.15/day) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Trade & industry | |||
| Exports share of GDP | 55.8% (2024) | 29.7% (2025) | 1.9× |
| Imports share of GDP | 38.2% (2024) | 28.2% (2025) | 1.4× |
| Agriculture share of GDP | 0.5% (2025) | 2.6% (2025) | 20% |
| Manufacturing share of GDP | 7.7% (2025) | 15.8% (2025) | 49% |
| International tourist arrivals | 2.2M (2020) | 20.3M (2019) | 11% |
| Tourism receipts | $524M (2020) | $6B (2020) | 9% |
| Health & education | |||
| Life expectancy | 84.6 years (2024) | 79.0 years (2024) | 1.1× |
| Infant mortality | 7.0‰ (2024) | 4.7‰ (2024) | 1.5× |
| Under-five mortality | 8.1‰ (2024) | 6.0‰ (2024) | 1.3× |
| DPT immunization | 99.0% (2024) | 97.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Hospital beds | 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) | 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) | 97% |
| Health spending share of GDP | 5.0% (2023) | 5.7% (2023) | 87% |
| Secondary school enrollment | 95.4% (2015) | 110.7% (2024) | 86% |
| Education spending share of GDP | 6.4% (2024) | 4.5% (2023) | 1.4× |
| Society & living | |||
| Human Development Index | 0.852 (2023) | 0.900 (2023) | 95% |
| Internet users | 100.0% (2025) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Mobile subscriptions | 167.7 per 100 (2023) | 159.5 per 100 (2024) | 1.1× |
| Fixed broadband | 1.0 per 100 (2023) | 44.1 per 100 (2024) | 2% |
| Electricity access | 100.0% (2024) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Environment & security | |||
| CO₂ emissions per capita | 23.7 t (2024) | 18.5 t (2024) | 1.3× |
| CO₂ emissions (total)derived | 116 Mt (2024) | 653 Mt (2024) | 18% |
| Renewable electricity share | 0.3% (2021) | 0.1% (2021) | 4.1× |
| Renewable energy consumption | 0.1% (2021) | 0.1% (2021) | 1.0× |
| Forest area | 0.4% (2023) | 0.5% (2023) | 77% |
| Agricultural land | 8.4% (2023) | 80.8% (2023) | 10% |
| Arable land | 0.4% (2023) | 1.6% (2023) | 28% |
| PM2.5 exposure | 62.3 µg/m³ (2023) | 73.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 85% |
| Military spending | 4.8% (2024) | 7.3% (2024) | 66% |
Population density is our own derived metric: latest population ÷ the equal-area surface area computed from Natural Earth boundaries — the same area basis as the true-size tool.
Kuwait
- Capital
- Kuwait City
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currencies
- KWD
- Subregion
- Western Asia
Saudi Arabia
- Capital
- Riyadh
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currencies
- SAR
- Subregion
- Western Asia
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia in five metrics
Full metric comparison
| Metric | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | A vs B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population & land | |||
| Population | 4.9M (2025) | 37M (2025) | 13% |
| Population growth | -0.7% (2025) | 4.6% (2025) | N/A |
| Urban population share | 100.0% (2025) | 84.6% (2025) | 1.2× |
| Population aged 65+ | 3.2% (2025) | 3.1% (2025) | 1.0× |
| Fertility rate | 1.6 (2024) | 2.3 (2024) | 68% |
| Birth rate | 10.0‰ (2024) | 16.5‰ (2024) | 61% |
| Death rate | 1.5‰ (2024) | 2.3‰ (2024) | 65% |
| Net migration | 42.8K (2025) | 119.7K (2025) | 36% |
| Surface area | 16,665 km² | 1,924,285 km² | 1% |
| Population density derived | 292/km² (2025) | 19.2/km² (2025) | 15× |
| Economy | |||
| GDP (total) | $157.2B (2025) | $1.3T (2025) | 12% |
| GDP per capita | $32,312 (2025) | $34,537 (2025) | 94% |
| GNI per capita | $41,110 (2024) | $36,070 (2025) | 1.1× |
| GDP growth (annual) | 2.7% (2025) | 4.5% (2025) | 61% |
| Inflation rate | 2.4% (2025) | 2.1% (2025) | 1.1× |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% (2025) | 3.0% (2025) | 72% |
| Gini index | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Poverty rate ($2.15/day) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Trade & industry | |||
| Exports share of GDP | 55.8% (2024) | 29.7% (2025) | 1.9× |
| Imports share of GDP | 38.2% (2024) | 28.2% (2025) | 1.4× |
| Agriculture share of GDP | 0.5% (2025) | 2.6% (2025) | 20% |
| Manufacturing share of GDP | 7.7% (2025) | 15.8% (2025) | 49% |
| International tourist arrivals | 2.2M (2020) | 20.3M (2019) | 11% |
| Tourism receipts | $524M (2020) | $6B (2020) | 9% |
| Health & education | |||
| Life expectancy | 84.6 years (2024) | 79.0 years (2024) | 1.1× |
| Infant mortality | 7.0‰ (2024) | 4.7‰ (2024) | 1.5× |
| Under-five mortality | 8.1‰ (2024) | 6.0‰ (2024) | 1.3× |
| DPT immunization | 99.0% (2024) | 97.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Hospital beds | 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) | 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) | 97% |
| Health spending share of GDP | 5.0% (2023) | 5.7% (2023) | 87% |
| Secondary school enrollment | 95.4% (2015) | 110.7% (2024) | 86% |
| Education spending share of GDP | 6.4% (2024) | 4.5% (2023) | 1.4× |
| Society & living | |||
| Human Development Index | 0.852 (2023) | 0.900 (2023) | 95% |
| Internet users | 100.0% (2025) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Mobile subscriptions | 167.7 per 100 (2023) | 159.5 per 100 (2024) | 1.1× |
| Fixed broadband | 1.0 per 100 (2023) | 44.1 per 100 (2024) | 2% |
| Electricity access | 100.0% (2024) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Environment & security | |||
| CO₂ emissions per capita | 23.7 t (2024) | 18.5 t (2024) | 1.3× |
| CO₂ emissions (total) derived | 116 Mt (2024) | 653 Mt (2024) | 18% |
| Renewable electricity share | 0.3% (2021) | 0.1% (2021) | 4.1× |
| Renewable energy consumption | 0.1% (2021) | 0.1% (2021) | 1.0× |
| Forest area | 0.4% (2023) | 0.5% (2023) | 77% |
| Agricultural land | 8.4% (2023) | 80.8% (2023) | 10% |
| Arable land | 0.4% (2023) | 1.6% (2023) | 28% |
| PM2.5 exposure | 62.3 µg/m³ (2023) | 73.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 85% |
| Military spending | 4.8% (2024) | 7.3% (2024) | 66% |
Population density is our own derived metric: latest population ÷ the equal-area surface area computed from Natural Earth boundaries — the same area basis as the true-size tool.
Reference facts
| Metric | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Kuwait City | Riyadh |
| Languages | Arabic | Arabic |
| Currencies | KWD | SAR |
| Subregion | Western Asia | Western Asia |
Frequently asked questions
Which is bigger, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?
Kuwait's surface area is smaller: about 1% of Saudi Arabia's (16,665 km² vs 1,924,285 km²).
Which has a larger population, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?
Kuwait's population is smaller: about 13% of Saudi Arabia's (4.9M vs 37M).
Which economy is larger, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?
Kuwait's GDP (total) is smaller: about 12% of Saudi Arabia's ($157.2B vs $1.3T).
Related tools and comparisons
Open the interactive compare tool with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia preselected
See Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's true size on a drag-and-drop map →
Distance between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia →
Kuwait country profile: key metrics vs world median →
Data & method
Indicators: World Bank Open Data, 43 indicators — CC BY 4.0 © World Bank — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; Human Development Index — CC BY 3.0 IGO © United Nations Development Programme — https://hdr.undp.org/terms-use
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m (public domain); surface areas are computed with an equal-area spherical formula (Chamberlin–Duquette).
Reference facts (capital, languages, currencies, subregion): mledoze/countries (ODbL).