Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Kuwait

Kuwait: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 16.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
16.8%
Change on year
down 21.5%
World rank
8th
of 191 countries
All-time high
27.4%
in 2020
All-time low
8.1%
in 2006
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Kuwait, 2000–2022

101520252000201120222000: 13.32001: 152002: 14.62003: 12.62004: 10.92005: 8.82006: 8.12007: 8.32008: 8.12009: 11.42010: 11.12011: 9.92012: 10.12013: 10.82014: 12.22015: 16.82016: 18.82017: 18.22018: 18.62019: 20.62020: 27.42021: 21.42022: 16.8

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Kuwait is 16.8%, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.5% on the previous year and up 66.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Kuwait peaked at 27.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 2006.

That places Kuwait 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Kuwait, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Kuwait, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 13.3% —
2001 15.0% +13.1%
2002 14.6% -2.8%
2003 12.6% -13.7%
2004 10.9% -13.4%
2005 8.8% -19.3%
2006 8.1% -8.3%
2007 8.3% +2.6%
2008 8.1% -2.3%
2009 11.4% +40.3%
2010 11.1% -2.5%
2011 9.9% -10.6%
2012 10.1% +2.1%
2013 10.8% +7.1%
2014 12.2% +12.2%
2015 16.8% +38.4%
2016 18.8% +11.9%
2017 18.2% -3.6%
2018 18.6% +2.6%
2019 20.6% +10.6%
2020 27.4% +33.1%
2021 21.4% -21.9%
2022 16.8% -21.5%

Kuwait compared with similar countries

  • Kuwait's 16.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.0%, 1.7× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Kuwait's 16.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.1%, 1.8× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11.1% 8.1% 15.0% 10
2010s 14.7% 9.9% 20.6% 10
2020s 21.9% 16.8% 27.4% 3

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 5 Marshall Islands 22.4% compare
  2. 6 Lesotho 19.5% compare
  3. 7 Micronesia (country) 18.0% compare
  4. 9 Vanuatu 16.6% compare
  5. 10 Eritrea 16.5% compare
  6. 11 Palau 15.8% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Kuwait?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Kuwait was 16.8% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 27.4% in 2020.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 2006.
How does Kuwait rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Kuwait ranks 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kuwait data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Kuwait. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/kuwait/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of GDP
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,127 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed