Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Government debt
Government debt: 2.9% of GDP in Kuwait in 2024 and 31.8% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 22.9 percentage points, or 8.88 times that in Kuwait.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2018, when it overtook Kuwait.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Kuwait at 37.8% of GDP and Saudi Arabia at 48.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.7 | 31.8 |
| 2024 | 2.9 | 25.9 |
| 2023 | 3.1 | 23 |
| 2022 | 3 | 21.3 |
| 2021 | 7.2 | 25.5 |
| 2020 | 10.2 | 29.7 |
| 2019 | 10.5 | 20.3 |
| 2018 | 14.3 | 16.8 |
| 2017 | 19.6 | 16 |
| 2016 | 9.9 | 12.3 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | 5.5 |
| 2014 | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| 2013 | 3.1 | 2.1 |
| 2012 | 3.6 | 3 |
| 2011 | 4.6 | 5.3 |
| 2010 | 6.2 | 8.4 |
| 2009 | 6.7 | 14 |
| 2008 | 5.4 | 12.1 |
| 2007 | 7 | 17.1 |
| 2006 | 7.8 | 25.8 |
| 2005 | 10.2 | 37.3 |
| 2004 | 13.9 | 62.9 |
| 2003 | 17.3 | 81.6 |
| 2002 | 21.3 | 96.4 |
| 2001 | 23 | 93.2 |
| 2000 | 21.4 | 86.7 |
| 1999 | 25.5 | 103 |
| 1998 | 25.6 | 101.5 |
| 1997 | 24.3 | 76.7 |
| 1996 | 26.5 | 75.2 |
| 1995 | 34.9 | 74.3 |
| 1994 | 37.7 | 67.9 |
| 1993 | 28.8 | 58.6 |
| 1992 | 27.9 | 47.8 |
| 1991 | 45.3 | 39.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26.6 | 35.4 |
| 2027 | 28.5 | 37.3 |
| 2028 | 31.8 | 40.2 |
| 2029 | 34.7 | 43.1 |
| 2030 | 36.5 | 45.9 |
| 2031 | 37.8 | 48.7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyKuwait: 80.4 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKuwait: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKuwait: 7.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKuwait: 3.64% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateKuwait: 2.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKuwait: 4.84 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthKuwait: 1.88% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKuwait: 1.53 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKuwait: 100% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageKuwait: 34.5 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKuwait: 3% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateKuwait: 10.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKuwait: 4.69% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKuwait: $7.92B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personKuwait: $1,623 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKuwait: 10.1% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKuwait: 25,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerKuwait: 0.2% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKuwait: 1.03% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKuwait: 311 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsKuwait: 95 million TIV in 1998Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023