Total natural resource rents in Kuwait
Kuwait: Total natural resource rents was 29.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents in Kuwait, 1970–2020
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in Kuwait is 29.3%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 26.5% on the previous year and down 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Kuwait peaked at 71.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 1991.
Kuwait ranks 12th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 34.9% | — |
| 1971 | 37.6% | +7.7% |
| 1972 | 42.9% | +14.3% |
| 1973 | 48.5% | +13.0% |
| 1974 | 71.2% | +46.7% |
| 1975 | 62.8% | -11.8% |
| 1976 | 64.5% | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 59.6% | -7.6% |
| 1978 | 60.2% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 67.8% | +12.8% |
| 1981 | 46.8% | -31.0% |
| 1982 | 32.7% | -30.2% |
| 1983 | 42.9% | +31.1% |
| 1984 | 44.6% | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 35.6% | -20.2% |
| 1986 | 26.9% | -24.3% |
| 1987 | 24.2% | -10.2% |
| 1988 | 27.1% | +11.8% |
| 1989 | 34.5% | +27.4% |
| 1990 | 39.5% | +14.7% |
| 1991 | 13.4% | -66.0% |
| 1992 | 28.8% | +114.4% |
| 1993 | 40.4% | +40.3% |
| 1994 | 37.7% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 37.3% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 41.2% | +10.3% |
| 1997 | 39.5% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 29.2% | -26.1% |
| 1999 | 34.8% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 51.4% | +47.4% |
| 2001 | 44.1% | -14.2% |
| 2002 | 38.1% | -13.5% |
| 2003 | 40.6% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 46.9% | +15.4% |
| 2005 | 54.1% | +15.5% |
| 2006 | 51.8% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 48.8% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 53.5% | +9.6% |
| 2009 | 39.6% | -25.9% |
| 2010 | 48.8% | +23.3% |
| 2011 | 59.1% | +21.0% |
| 2012 | 58.1% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 56.3% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 54.0% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 37.3% | -30.9% |
| 2016 | 32.4% | -13.3% |
| 2017 | 36.8% | +13.6% |
| 2018 | 45.2% | +22.8% |
| 2019 | 39.8% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | -26.5% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 29.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 245.6× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 29.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.1%, 5.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.6% | 34.9% | 71.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 38.3% | 24.2% | 67.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.2% | 13.4% | 41.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.9% | 38.1% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.8% | 32.4% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.3% | 29.3% | 29.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More reference data data for Kuwait
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.092 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2888 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.385 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.385 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3086 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1086 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0052 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Kuwait?
- Total natural resource rents in Kuwait was 29.3% in 2020, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 71.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 1991.
- How does Kuwait rank for total natural resource rents?
- Kuwait ranks 12th out of 211 countries with data for 2020.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.