Military spending as a share of GDP in Kuwait
Kuwait: Military spending as a share of GDP was 4.6% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
4.6%
Change on year
up 16.0%
World rank
10th
of 172 countries
All-time high
58.6%
in 1991
All-time low
0.7%
in 1961
Years of data
59
1961–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Kuwait, 1961–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in Kuwait stood at 4.6%.
That represents a change of up 16.0% on the previous year and up 51.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Kuwait peaked at 58.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1961.
That places Kuwait 10th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.7% | — |
| 1962 | 0.7% | +9.0% |
| 1963 | 0.8% | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | +22.1% |
| 1965 | 1.0% | +7.4% |
| 1966 | 1.1% | +6.5% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | +87.5% |
| 1968 | 2.3% | +14.3% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -19.1% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | +13.3% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -10.1% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | +25.5% |
| 1975 | 2.7% | +10.8% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | +29.2% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | +14.4% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -8.4% |
| 1979 | 3.6% | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 3.8% | +6.1% |
| 1981 | 4.3% | +13.3% |
| 1982 | 4.7% | +8.8% |
| 1983 | 5.2% | +11.3% |
| 1984 | 5.4% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 5.5% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 5.4% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 5.0% | -7.1% |
| 1988 | 5.2% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | +10.3% |
| 1990 | 40.6% | +609.0% |
| 1991 | 58.6% | +44.3% |
| 1992 | 45.8% | -21.9% |
| 1993 | 9.3% | -79.6% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | -16.2% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | -12.8% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | -12.1% |
| 1998 | 5.5% | -7.7% |
| 1999 | 5.3% | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 5.4% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | -10.5% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | -9.2% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -18.5% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +11.4% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -9.2% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -10.5% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | +6.9% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | +11.8% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | +11.7% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | +16.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 0.7% | 2.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 1.9% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.0% | 3.8% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.3% | 5.3% | 58.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.0% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 4.6% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More economy & growth data for Kuwait
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.82 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.61 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 4,541 constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate -4.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth -2.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.07 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 34,736 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth -2.51 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.3294 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 10,645 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Kuwait?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Kuwait was 4.6% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 58.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1961.
- How does Kuwait rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Kuwait ranks 10th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).