[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · KWT · 2024
Kuwait trade profile
In 2024, Kuwait recorded $81.3B in merchandise exports and $38.5B in imports, producing a $42.8B trade surplus. Exports changed -7.6% from the previous year, while imports changed -0.8%.[1]
Exports
$81.3B
-7.6%
Imports
$38.5B
-0.8%
Trade balance
$42.8B
surplus
Active partners
270
16 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$74.6B
HS 27 · Mineral fuels and oils
40 active HS6 lines · 96 export partners
2$1.9B
HS 29 · Organic chemicals
288 active HS6 lines · 61 export partners
3$1.0B
HS 39 · HS chapter
123 active HS6 lines · 101 export partners
4$773.0M
HS 87 · Vehicles
87 active HS6 lines · 102 export partners
5$606.2M
HS 88 · HS chapter
15 active HS6 lines · 21 export partners
6$315.5M
HS 71 · Precious metals and stones
43 active HS6 lines · 55 export partners
7$278.8M
HS 25 · HS chapter
63 active HS6 lines · 33 export partners
8$152.4M
HS 04 · HS chapter
32 active HS6 lines · 36 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Kuwait; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$11.0B
China
Annual change -33.9% · 3-year CAGR -12.2%
2$8.5B
South Korea
Annual change -9.6% · 3-year CAGR 2.6%
3$7.4B
India
Annual change -13.6% · 3-year CAGR -5.4%
4$7.0B
Japan
Annual change -20.3% · 3-year CAGR 3.6%
5$6.5B
Vietnam
Annual change +16.3% · 3-year CAGR 15.0%
6$5.2B
France
Annual change +65.5% · 3-year CAGR 92.8%
7$4.8B
United Kingdom
Annual change +7.2% · 3-year CAGR 68.9%
8$3.3B
Taiwan
Annual change -30.6% · 3-year CAGR -8.9%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.