Military spending per armed forces personnel in Kuwait

Kuwait: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 318,743 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
318,743 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
down 6.9%
World rank
14th
of 160 countries
All-time high
3.20 million constant 2024 US$
in 1990
All-time low
241,245 constant 2024 US$
in 1999
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Military spending per armed forces personnel in Kuwait, 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M1985200220201985: 351.0k constant 2024 US$1989: 290.5k constant 2024 US$1990: 3.2M constant 2024 US$1991: 2.9M constant 2024 US$1992: 1.2M constant 2024 US$1993: 597.1k constant 2024 US$1994: 506.8k constant 2024 US$1995: 386.0k constant 2024 US$1996: 340.9k constant 2024 US$1997: 266.1k constant 2024 US$1998: 248.3k constant 2024 US$1999: 241.2k constant 2024 US$2000: 281.7k constant 2024 US$2001: 274.1k constant 2024 US$2002: 262.4k constant 2024 US$2003: 282.8k constant 2024 US$2004: 320.3k constant 2024 US$2005: 283.0k constant 2024 US$2006: 279.8k constant 2024 US$2007: 297.2k constant 2024 US$2008: 273.6k constant 2024 US$2009: 270.7k constant 2024 US$2010: 265.8k constant 2024 US$2011: 303.7k constant 2024 US$2012: 328.6k constant 2024 US$2013: 310.9k constant 2024 US$2014: 310.3k constant 2024 US$2015: 312.6k constant 2024 US$2016: 341.8k constant 2024 US$2017: 318.7k constant 2024 US$2018: 341.3k constant 2024 US$2019: 342.3k constant 2024 US$2020: 318.7k constant 2024 US$

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.

Analysis

In 2020, military spending per armed forces personnel in Kuwait stood at 318,743 constant 2024 US$.

That represents a change of down 6.9% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Kuwait peaked at 3.20 million constant 2024 US$ in 1990 and was at its lowest, 241,245 constant 2024 US$, in 1999.

That places Kuwait 14th out of 160 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 320,768 constant 2024 US$ 290,527 constant 2024 US$ 351,008 constant 2024 US$ 2
1990s 994,473 constant 2024 US$ 241,245 constant 2024 US$ 3.20 million constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 282,552 constant 2024 US$ 262,382 constant 2024 US$ 320,289 constant 2024 US$ 10
2010s 317,593 constant 2024 US$ 265,753 constant 2024 US$ 342,341 constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 318,743 constant 2024 US$ 318,743 constant 2024 US$ 318,743 constant 2024 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 11 Libya 336,927 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 12 Germany 330,155 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 13 Switzerland 326,305 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 15 New Zealand 317,716 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 16 Norway 301,759 constant 2024 US$ compare
  6. 17 Belgium 253,496 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Kuwait?
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Kuwait was 318,743 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 3.20 million constant 2024 US$ in 1990.
What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 241,245 constant 2024 US$ in 1999.
How does Kuwait rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Kuwait ranks 14th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kuwait data come from?
The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.