Country export capability

Kuwait
export capability

A reported view of Kuwait's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

KWT1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$81.3B2024 reported value
Latest imports$38.5B2024 reported value
Trade balance$42.8BExports minus imports
Export growth-7.6%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Kuwait export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Kuwait recorded $81.3B in exports and $38.5B in imports. The resulting $42.8B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed -7.6% year on year and show a calculated +8.6% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

China received $11.0B in reported exports, representing 13.5% of the latest country total. Mineral fuels was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $74.6B and 91.7% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Kuwait's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$160.2B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$32.7KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population4.9MReported population
Labor force2.5KReported labor force
Investment rate20.2%National investment rate
Savings rate61.1%National savings rate
Trade openness77.9%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP52.9%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education57%Education context
Tertiary education6.6%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Kuwait
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
JapanJPNCritical attention100%45.3%1.9%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
PakistanPAKCritical attention96.3%66.9%40.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACritical attention99.9%33.9%4.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
IraqIRQCritical attention94.2%16%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
TaiwanTWNWatch7%59.6%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
BelgiumBELCritical attention65.4%55.1%1.9%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
CanadaCANCritical attention100%80.9%5.3%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United Arab EmiratesAREWatch12%15.4%3.8%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
ThailandTHAHigh attention98.2%27.8%30.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
OmanOMNHigh attention82.6%41.7%4.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Kuwait
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$119.1B0%Declining -2.6%
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$114.8B0.4%Stable +1.1%
3ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Stable +10.5%
4ChinaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$291.6B$83.5B3.2%Growing -6.7%
5IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$68.6B2.3%Growing -0.5%
6ChinaHS6 710812 · Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$80.8B$64.9B0%Growing +2.4%
7ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Accelerating +4%
8USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 851712 · Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$53.9B$53.8B0%Declining -8.8%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Kuwait.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Kuwait
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
12710HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$35.8B44%5
22709HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$34.8B42.8%1
32711HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$3.6B4.4%7
42902HS4 detail codeOrganic chemicals (29) ↗$1.1B1.3%11
53901HS4 detail codePlastics (39) ↗$857.0M1.1%5
62905HS4 detail codeOrganic chemicals (29) ↗$781.2M1%19
78802HS4 detail codeAircraft (88) ↗$591.0M0.7%6
88703HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$543.4M0.7%14
92713HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$366.8M0.5%4
102503HS4 detail codeSalt, sulphur, earths and stone (25) ↗$274.8M0.3%1
117108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$207.1M0.3%3
128704HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$176.2M0.2%7

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Kuwait combines $81.3B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Kuwait recorded $81.3B in reported exports and $38.5B in imports, producing a reported trade surplus of $42.8B. Exports changed -7.6% year on year and +8.6% annualized over three years. Mineral fuels (HS2 27) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Kuwait exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Kuwait
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1ChinaCHN$11.0B13.5%-33.9%-12.2%
2Republic of KoreaKOR$8.5B10.4%-9.6%+2.6%
3IndiaIND$7.4B9.1%-13.6%-5.4%
4JapanJPN$7.0B8.6%-20.3%+3.6%
5Viet NamVNM$6.5B8%+16.3%+15%
6FranceFRA$5.2B6.4%+65.5%+92.8%
7United KingdomGBR$4.8B5.9%+7.2%+68.9%
8TaiwanTWN$3.3B4%-30.6%-8.9%
9United Arab EmiratesARE$3.1B3.8%+21.3%+26.5%
10NetherlandsNLD$2.2B2.6%+175.5%+64.6%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$114.4B
2014
$104.0B
2015
$57.7B
2016
$46.9B
2017
$56.5B
2018
$73.3B
2019
$68.2B
2020
$42.4B
2021
$63.4B
2022
$100.8B
2023
$88.0B
2024
$81.3B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets16Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners2Country context
Shared-language partners27Country context
Average partner distance6,872 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA5.9%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share48.8%

Covered value under attention

Critical share9.1%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak32.1%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports10.8%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.2%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score-2.8

History-based indicator

Partner concentration662

Partner HHI

Product concentration2,827.1

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3KWT
Exports Usd$81.3B
Imports Usd$38.5B
Trade Balance Usd$42.8B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-7.6%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-0.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct8.6%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct1.9%
Export Partner Hhi662
Export Product Hhi2,827.1
Momentum Score-2.8
Risk Score17.4
Gdp Million Usd160,227.27 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$32.7K
Population4,897,263
Labor Force2,515.8
Investment Rate Pct20.2%
Savings Rate Pct61.1%
Secondary Education Pct57%
Tertiary Education Pct6.6%
Total Factor Productivity1,709
Trade Openness Pct77.9%
Exports Gdp Pct52.9%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners16
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners2
Num Shared Language Partners27
Avg Partner Distance Km6,872 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta6
Pct Partners Shared Language10
Pct Partners Shared Border1
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km6,946
Num Border Partners50
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9.5
Pct Products High Elasticity71
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential288,073.5
Foreign Market Potential15,317

Exposure fields

Country Iso3KWT
All History Lane Count4,919
Current Lane Count1,789
Critical Lane Count31
High Attention Lane Count283
High Volatility Lane Count1,274
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count794
Declining Demand Lane Count2
Concentrated Market Lane Count858
Access Friction Lane Count72
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count72
Monitored Exports Current Usd$80.8B
Attention Exports Usd$39.5B
Critical Exports Usd$7.4B
High Volatility Exports Usd$33.3B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$33.3B
Non Fta Exports Usd$71.8B
Monitored Attention Share Pct48.8%
Monitored Critical Share Pct9.1%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct10.8%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct32.1%
Export Weighted Distance Km5,263 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.2%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$81.3B
Total Imports Latest Usd$38.5B
Trade Balance Latest Usd$42.8B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-7.6%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct8.6%
Gdp Latest Million Usd160,227.27 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$32.7K
Population Latest4,897,263
Investment Rate Latest Pct20.2%
Savings Rate Latest Pct61.1%
Trade Openness Latest Pct77.9%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct52.9%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest16
Foreign Market Potential Latest15,317
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct2.6%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct0.6%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2%
Partner Hhi Latest662
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct13.5%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct33.1%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,000.3
Partner Hhi All Max1,461.3
Product Hhi Latest2,827.1
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct42.8%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct86.8%
Product Hhi All Avg4,105.6
Product Hhi All Max5,080.2
Total Exports Attention Share Pct48.6%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct9.1%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$11.3B$7.8B$3.5BNot reportedNot reported
1996$13.0B$8.1B$4.9B+15%Not reported
1997$13.2B$7.8B$5.4B+1.4%Not reported
1998$9.6B$8.4B$1.2B-27.3%-5.3%
1999$12.5B$6.8B$5.7B+29.9%-1.4%
2000$19.2B$6.6B$12.6B+53.8%+13.3%
2001$16.1B$7.2B$8.8B-16.3%+18.7%
2002$17.3B$8.4B$8.9B+7.7%+11.5%
2003$22.4B$10.7B$11.7B+29.4%+5.3%
2004$30.2B$12.1B$18.1B+34.9%+23.4%
2005$44.3B$14.7B$29.6B+46.7%+36.8%
2006$57.0B$16.5B$40.5B+28.6%+36.5%
2007$64.2B$20.5B$43.7B+12.6%+28.6%
2008$90.9B$23.7B$67.1B+41.6%+27%
2009$53.9B$19.0B$34.9B-40.7%-1.8%
2010$67.3B$22.6B$44.7B+24.9%+1.6%
2011$102.0B$25.2B$76.8B+51.5%+3.9%
2012$118.9B$26.7B$92.2B+16.6%+30.2%
2013$114.4B$28.1B$86.3B-3.7%+19.3%
2014$104.0B$30.8B$73.2B-9.1%+0.7%
2015$57.7B$29.3B$28.4B-44.5%-21.4%
2016$46.9B$28.6B$18.3B-18.8%-25.7%
2017$56.5B$32.9B$23.7B+20.7%-18.4%
2018$73.3B$34.5B$38.7B+29.6%+8.3%
2019$68.2B$33.5B$34.7B-6.8%+13.4%
2020$42.4B$29.4B$12.9B-37.9%-9.2%
2021$63.4B$36.4B$27.0B+49.7%-4.7%
2022$100.8B$39.5B$61.3B+58.9%+13.9%
2023$88.0B$38.8B$49.2B-12.7%+27.6%
2024$81.3B$38.5B$42.8B-7.6%+8.6%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
127Mineral fuels$74.6B91.7%9640
229Organic chemicals$1.9B2.4%61288
339Plastics$1.0B1.3%101123
487Vehicles$773.0M1%10287
588Aircraft$606.2M0.7%2115
671Precious stones and metals$315.5M0.4%5543
725Salt, sulphur, earths and stone$278.8M0.3%3363
804Dairy produce and eggs$152.4M0.2%3632
972Iron and steel$129.0M0.2%44156
1084Machinery$111.6M0.1%107503

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
12710Mineral fuels (27)$35.8B44%5
22709Mineral fuels (27)$34.8B42.8%1
32711Mineral fuels (27)$3.6B4.4%7
42902Organic chemicals (29)$1.1B1.3%11
53901Plastics (39)$857.0M1.1%5
62905Organic chemicals (29)$781.2M1%19
78802Aircraft (88)$591.0M0.7%6
88703Vehicles (87)$543.4M0.7%14
92713Mineral fuels (27)$366.8M0.5%4
102503Salt, sulphur, earths and stone (25)$274.8M0.3%1
117108Precious stones and metals (71)$207.1M0.3%3
128704Vehicles (87)$176.2M0.2%7

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1ChinaCHN$11.0B13.5%-33.9%-12.2%
2Republic of KoreaKOR$8.5B10.4%-9.6%+2.6%
3IndiaIND$7.4B9.1%-13.6%-5.4%
4JapanJPN$7.0B8.6%-20.3%+3.6%
5Viet NamVNM$6.5B8%+16.3%+15%
6FranceFRA$5.2B6.4%+65.5%+92.8%
7United KingdomGBR$4.8B5.9%+7.2%+68.9%
8TaiwanTWN$3.3B4%-30.6%-8.9%
9United Arab EmiratesARE$3.1B3.8%+21.3%+26.5%
10NetherlandsNLD$2.2B2.6%+175.5%+64.6%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Japan (JPN)Critical attention100%45.3%1.9%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
2Pakistan (PAK)Critical attention96.3%66.9%40.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)Critical attention99.9%33.9%4.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
4Iraq (IRQ)Critical attention94.2%16%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
5Taiwan (TWN)Watch7%59.6%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
6Belgium (BEL)Critical attention65.4%55.1%1.9%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
7Canada (CAN)Critical attention100%80.9%5.3%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
8United Arab Emirates (ARE)Watch12%15.4%3.8%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
9Thailand (THA)High attention98.2%27.8%30.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
10Oman (OMN)High attention82.6%41.7%4.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Belgium (BEL)481830new$40.6M4.6%100
2Belgium (BEL)262011new$100.8M0.3%100
3Republic of Moldova (MDA)271019new$647.6M0%100
4Madagascar (MDG)250300new$30.5M14.2%100
5Thailand (THA)790310new$24.5M1.1%100
6Côte d\'Ivoire (CIV)853720new$17.9M1.6%100
7India (IND)847510new$3.6M16%100
8Guinea (GIN)870894new$1.4M11.5%100
9Russia (RUS)854449new$327.0M0.1%100
10Netherlands (NLD)840710new$159.8M0.1%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$119.1B0%Declining (-2.6%)
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$114.8B0.4%Stable (+1.1%)
3China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Stable (+10.5%)
4China (CHN)270900$291.6B$83.5B3.2%Growing (-6.7%)
5India (IND)270900$130.1B$68.6B2.3%Growing (-0.5%)
6China (CHN)710812$80.8B$64.9B0%Growing (+2.4%)
7China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Accelerating (+4%)
8USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)851712$53.9B$53.8B0%Declining (-8.8%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Kuwait export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Kuwait export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Kuwait.

What is the latest reported export value for Kuwait?

Kuwait recorded $81.3B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Kuwait?

China leads by reported export value at $11.0B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Kuwait's exports?

Mineral fuels leads by reported value at $74.6B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Kuwait trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.