Kuwait: Imports, percent of GDP

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 Kuwait

Imports of goods and services as percent of GDP

 Latest value 44.08
 Year 2019
 Measure percent
 Data availability 1965 - 2019
 Average 37.16
 Min - Max 13.84 - 125.71
 Source The World Bank
The latest value from 2019 is 44.08 percent, a decline from 45.62 percent in 2018. In comparison, the world average is 47.43 percent, based on data from 170 countries. Historically, the average for Kuwait from 1965 to 2019 is 37.16 percent. The minimum value, 13.84 percent, was reached in 1974 while the maximum of 125.71 percent was recorded in 1991. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
Kuwait - Imports, percent of GDP - Recent values chart

Historical series
Kuwait - Imports, percent of GDP - historical chart - 1965-2019




The imports of Kuwait and other countries are calculated as the total amount of goods and services produced abroad and sold at home. Imports are often reported as percent of GDP so that we can evaluate their magnitude relative to the size of the economy.

If imports are about 15 percent or less of GDP the economy is considered relatively closed. That, for example, applies to the U.S. In contrast, many small European countries import over 40 percent of the products they consume. They are considered more open to international trade.
Definition: Imports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services received from the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments.

Selected articles from our guide:

What factors determine the exchange rates

International lending and sovereign debt

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 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Terms of trade 124.96 2021 percent
 Trade openness 96.41 2019 percent
 Financial openness 1.034 2021 index points
 Exports, percent of GDP 52.33 2019 percent
 Exports, billion dollars 72.58 2019 billion U.S. dollars
 Growth of exports -10.05 2019 percent
 Imports, percent of GDP 44.08 2019 percent
 Imports, billion dollars 61.14 2019 billion U.S. dollars
 Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP 1.31 2023 percent
 Foreign Direct Investment, billion dollars 0.75 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Portfolio investment inflows, equities -374.81 2023 million dollars (current)
 Current account, percent of GDP 31.40 2023 percent
 Current account, in dollars 51.40 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Trade balance, percent of GDP 8.25 2019 percent
 Trade balance, in dollars 32.05 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Reserves 52.62 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Remittances, percent of GDP 0.01 2023 percent
 Remittances 22.93 2023 million U.S. dollars
 Net errors and omissions -694.68 2023 million USD
 Foreign exchange reserves 12.93 9/2024 billion
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