Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 96.5% in Kuwait in 2020 and 97.9% in Saudi Arabia in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 1.1 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Kuwait.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2020, when it overtook Kuwait.
- The world as a whole: 87% in 2020.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | 97.9 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 96.5 | 97.6 | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 96.1 | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 96 | 95.3 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 95.7 | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 95.6 | 94.4 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 95.5 | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 94.5 | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 93.9 | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 93.7 | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 93.3 | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | 93.3 | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | 82.9 | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | 79.4 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | 78.4 | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | 70.8 | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | 74.5 | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | 67.5 | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | 59.6 | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
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