4 cities

Location of KuwaitIranSaudi ArabiaIraqKuwaitAl AhmadiKuwait CityAl JahraHawalli
Country

Kuwait

29.41° N, 47.31° E

100% of everyone here lives in a city.

urban population 100% · 1st/225
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value

Population
4,207,083
Area
17,818 km²
Population density
≈ 243 / km²
Capital
Kuwait City
Natural Earth
ISO codes
KW · KWT
GDP (nominal)
$160.23 billion
GDP per capita (PPP)
$45,400
Compare with…Open on map
How big, reallyDrawn at the same scale as Timor-Leste — the next country down in size. Equal-area projection, not the map you are used to.
Kuwait 17,818 km²Timor-Leste 14,874 km²

geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area

Where Kuwait sits in the world

Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.

  1. Median age30.4 years134th of 224 · median 32.6 years
  2. Life expectancy79.6 years62nd of 224 · median 76.2 years
  3. Fertility rate2.19 children per woman81st of 225 · median 1.92 children per woman
  4. Population4,207,083131st of 235 · median 5,454,073
  5. Total area17,818 km²156th of 228 · median 83,736 km²
  6. Coastline499 km105th of 229 · median 402 km

Overview

Name

The name derives from the capital city. That city’s name comes from the Arabic "al-kuwayt", a diminutive of the Hindustani "kut", meaning a fortress-like house.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Geography

In the Middle East, Kuwait borders the Persian Gulf between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Its terrain is a flat to slightly undulating desert plain.

Kuwait occupies a strategic location at the head of the Persian Gulf. Its natural resources include petroleum, fish, shrimp, and natural gas. The highest point lies west of Al-Salmi Border Post. The lowest point is in the Persian Gulf.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Climate

A dry desert climate brings intensely hot summers and short, cool winters. Sudden cloudbursts bring heavy rain that can damage roads and houses, while sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Flag and symbols

Three equal horizontal bands—green at the top, white, and red—appear with a black trapezoid based on the left side. The colors stand for fertile fields, purity, blood on Kuwaiti swords, and defeating the enemy, in that order from green through black. The colors and design are based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I. Kuwait’s national symbol is a golden falcon.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Key figures

CIA World Factbook

Economy

GDP (nominal)
$160.23 billion
GDP (PPP)
$225.95 billion
GDP per capita (PPP)
$45,400
GDP growth
-2.6%
Inflation (consumer prices)
2.9%
Unemployment
2.2%
Exports
$89.71 billion
Imports
$61.52 billion

People

Life expectancy
79.6 years
Median age
30.4 years
Birth rate
17.36 per 1,000
Death rate
2.3 per 1,000
Fertility rate
2.19 children per woman
Population growth
+1.07% a year
Urban population
100%
Literacy
96.5%
Languages
  • Arabicofficial
  • English widely spoken
Religions
  • Muslim74.6%
  • Christian18.2%
  • other7.2%

Land

Total area
17,818 km²Land 17,818 km² · Water 0 km²
Coastline
499 km
Land borders
475 km
Mean elevation
108 m
Highest point
300 m 3.6 km W. of Al-Salmi Border Post

Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.

Connections

Within
Borders
Contains

Natural geography 1

Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID

Gulfs 1

Largest cities 4

Population · Natural Earth

  1. Kuwait Citycapital2.1M
  2. Al Jahra194.2K
  3. Hawalli164.2K
  4. Al Ahmadi68.8K

Sources