State Capacity Index in Kuwait

Kuwait: State Capacity Index was 0.2707 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.2707
Change on year
down 14.7%
World rank
99th
of 166 countries
All-time high
1.51
in 1973
All-time low
-0.3363
in 1991
Years of data
53
1963–2015

State Capacity Index in Kuwait, 1963–2015

-0.500.511.5196319892015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for state capacity index in Kuwait is 0.2707, measured in 2015.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.7% on the previous year and up 34.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Kuwait peaked at 1.51 in 1973 and was at its lowest, -0.3363, in 1991.

That places Kuwait 99th out of 166 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

State Capacity Index in Kuwait, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Kuwait, 1963 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1963 0.7065
1964 0.7039 -0.4%
1965 0.7696 +9.3%
1966 0.7389 -4.0%
1967 0.7649 +3.5%
1968 0.7557 -1.2%
1969 0.7464 -1.2%
1970 0.7148 -4.2%
1971 0.7163 +0.2%
1972 1.5 +109.1%
1973 1.51 +1.1%
1974 1.51 -0.5%
1975 0.9794 -35.0%
1976 0.9974 +1.8%
1977 0.6404 -35.8%
1978 0.9054 +41.4%
1979 0.5022 -44.5%
1980 0.6323 +25.9%
1981 0.6455 +2.1%
1982 0.4352 -32.6%
1983 0.4582 +5.3%
1984 0.4417 -3.6%
1985 0.2754 -37.6%
1986 0.231 -16.1%
1987 0.034 -85.3%
1988 0.0247 -27.3%
1989 0.0391 +58.0%
1990 -0.3118 -897.9%
1991 -0.3363 +7.9%
1992 0.809 -340.6%
1993 0.0949 -88.3%
1994 0.3408 +259.0%
1995 0.361 +5.9%
1996 0.28 -22.4%
1997 0.2635 -5.9%
1998 0.2086 -20.8%
1999 0.1429 -31.5%
2000 0.0791 -44.7%
2001 0.0561 -29.1%
2002 0.096 +71.3%
2003 0.1334 +38.9%
2004 0.1135 -14.9%
2005 0.2009 +77.0%
2006 0.2109 +5.0%
2007 0.3085 +46.3%
2008 0.53 +71.8%
2009 0.5368 +1.3%
2010 0.3153 -41.3%
2011 0.369 +17.0%
2012 0.3529 -4.4%
2013 0.3575 +1.3%
2014 0.3173 -11.2%
2015 0.2707 -14.7%

Kuwait compared with similar countries

  • Kuwait's 0.2707 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.59, 17% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • Kuwait's 0.2707 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.2707, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in Kuwait changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1990 -897.9% 0.0391 -0.3118
1992 +340.6% -0.3363 0.809
1994 +259.0% 0.0949 0.3408

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.7408 0.7039 0.7696 7
1970s 0.9975 0.5022 1.51 10
1980s 0.3217 0.0247 0.6455 10
1990s 0.1853 -0.3363 0.809 10
2000s 0.2265 0.0561 0.5368 10
2010s 0.3304 0.2707 0.369 6

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 96 Ukraine 0.3095 compare
  2. 97 Zimbabwe 0.2965 compare
  3. 98 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.2855 compare
  4. 100 Senegal 0.2706 compare
  5. 101 Laos 0.2661 compare
  6. 102 Egypt 0.2569 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Kuwait?
State capacity index in Kuwait was 0.2707 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 1.51 in 1973.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was -0.3363 in 1991.
How does Kuwait rank for state capacity index?
Kuwait ranks 99th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kuwait data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

State Capacity Index in Kuwait. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/kuwait/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/kuwait/">State Capacity Index in Kuwait</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.