Form of government: Constitutional monarchy with one legislative body (National Assembly [50{1}]).
Head of state and government: Emir{2}.
Capital: Kuwait City.
Official language: Arabic.
Official religion: Islam.
Monetary unit: 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD)=1,000 fils; valuation
(Oct. 6, 1995) 1 KD=U.S.$3.33=
2.13.
Population (1995): 1,691,000.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 245.8, persons per sq km 94.9.
Urban-rural (1995): urban 96.6%; rural 3.4%.
Sex distribution (1995): male 61.45%; female 38.55%.
Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 40.4%; 15-29, 25.7%; 30-44, 22.5%; 45-59, 8.6%; 60-74, 2.2%; 75 and over, 0.6%.
Population projection: (2000) 1,987,000; (2010) 2,494,000.
Doubling time: 30 years.
Ethnic composition (by nationality; 1995): Kuwaiti 41.1%; non-Kuwaiti (including other Arab, South Asian, Palestinian, and Badoun [stateless immigrants]) 58.9%.
Religious affiliation (1995): Muslim 85%, of which Sunni 45%, Shi'ah 30%; other Muslim 10%; other (mostly Christian and Hindu) 15.0%.
Major cities (1993): al-Jahra` 139,476; as-Salimiyah 116,104; Hawalli 84,478; al-Farwaniyah 47,106; Kuwait City 31,241.
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1993): 25.6 (world avg. 25.0); legitimate, n.a.; illegitimate, n.a.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1993): 2.4 (world avg. 9.3).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1993): 23.2 (world avg. 15.7).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1995): 3.9.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1989): 5.4.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1989): 1.5.
Life expectancy at birth (1994): male 73.0 years; female 77.0 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1992): circulatory diseases 79.8; accidents, poisoning, and violence 40.3; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 22.6; respiratory diseases 17.1; congenital anomalies 9.2; endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 8.4; diseases of the nervous system 7.4; infectious and parasitic diseases 5.7; diseases of the digestive system 4.4.
Budget (1994-95). Revenue: KD 2,637,200,000 (oil revenue 84.7%). Expenditures{3}: KD 4,140,000,000 (defense 27.1%; education 10.5%; health 9.2%; administrative services 5.7%; electricity, water, and public utilities 4.8%; transportation and communications 2.3%).
Public debt (external, outstanding; 1991): U.S.$792,000,000 {4}.
Tourism (1993): receipts from visitors U.S.$83,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad U.S.$1,888,000,000.
Gross national product (at current market prices; 1993): U.S.$34,120,000,000 (U.S.$23,350 per capita).
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): tomatoes 35,000, cucumbers and gherkins 17,000, onions 16,000, eggplants 2,000, garlic 1,000; livestock (number of live animals) 150,000 sheep, 15,000 goats, 12,000 cattle, 1,000 camels, 14,000,000 chickens; fish catch (1993) 8,561. Mining and quarrying (1993): sulfur 175,000; lime 35,000. Manufacturing (1993): cement 533,500; ammonia (urea) 300,000; flour 127,000; concrete pipes 82,100; bread 70,000; bran 38,000; liquefied caustic soda 15,500; chlorine gas 13,700; biscuits 2,000; detergents 700; hydrochloric acid 1,427,900 gallons {5}; concrete 134,800 cu m; sodium hydrochloride 7,560 cu m{5}. Construction (floor area approved for construction; 1989): residential 2,563,000 sq m; nonresidential 416,000 sq m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1992) 16,885,000,000 (14,209,000,000); coal, none (none); crude petroleum (barrels; 1992) 388,700,000 (117,400,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1992) 16,059,000 (3,064,000); natural gas (cu m; 1992) 2,619,800,000 (2,619,800,000).
Population economically active (1990): total 722,495; activity rate of total population 37.2% (participation rates [1988]: ages 15-64, 56.1%; female 18.8%; unemployed 1.9%).
Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1986) 7.4; annual income per household (1973){6} KD 4,246 (U.S.$12,907); sources of income: wages and salaries 53.8%, self-employment 20.8%, other 25.4%; expenditure (1992): food, beverages, and tobacco 37.0%, housing and energy 18.7%, transportation 15.3%, household appliances and services 11.1%, clothing and footwear 10.0%, education and health 2.5%.
Land use (1993): forested 0.1%; meadows and pastures 7.7%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 0.3%; other, built-up, and wasteland 91.9%.
Imports (1994): KD 1,988,200,000 (machinery and transport equipment 38.1%, manufactured goods 19.2%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 15.5%, food and live animals 14.9%, chemical products 7.6%, beverages and tobacco 1.6%). Major import sources: U.S. 14.5%; Japan 11.7%; Germany 8.2%; U.K. 6.9%; France 6.3%; Italy 6.0%; Saudi Arabia 5.7%; India 2.9%.
Exports (1994){8}: KD 3,311,000,000 (crude petroleum and petroleum products 93.1%). Major export destinations: France 15.7%; Saudi Arabia 14.5%; United Arab Emirates 13.8%; India 13.5%; Hong Kong 8.2%; China 3.3%; Pakistan 2.8%; Egypt 2.1%; Italy 2.0%.
Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1990): total length 2,655 mi, 4,273 km (paved 100%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 530,000; trucks and buses 144,300. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 209; total deadweight tonnage 3,188,526. Air transport (1993){9}: passenger-mi 2,518,801,000, passenger-km 4,053,626,000; short ton-mi cargo 174,042,000, metric ton-km cargo 254,097,000; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 1.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1992): total number 9; total circulation 480,000; circulation per 1,000 population 244. Radio (1994): total number of receivers 1,000,000 (1 per 1.6 persons). Television (1994): total number of receivers 800,000 (1 per 2.0 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993): 358,000 (1 per 4.1 persons).
Educational attainment (1988). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 44.8%; primary education 8.6%; some secondary 15.1%; complete secondary 15.1%; higher 16.4%. Literacy (1988): total population age 15 and over literate 961,880 (79.7%); males literate 574,739 (83.3%); females literate 387,141 (74.9%).
Health (1993): physicians 2,403 (1 per 608 persons); hospital beds 4,093{10} (1 per 357 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1994) 13.0.
Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 2,523 (vegetable products 79%, animal products 21%); 104% of FAO recommended minimum requirement.
Total active duty personnel (1995): 16,600 (army [including central staff] 69.8%, navy 15.1%, air force 15.1%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1994): 12.2% (world 2.6%); per capita expenditure U.S.$2,019.