Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia

Kuwait
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
High income
Capital: Kuwait City
Population
4.9M
GDP
$160.9B
Saudi Arabia
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
High income
Capital: Riyadh
Population
35.3M
GDP
$1.2T

POP 7.2x GDP 7.7x LE 5.6 yrs same-band HIC

Widest indicator spreads · Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia

GDP Growth Rate173.8%Foreign Direct Investment97.1%Population Density94.2%GDP (Current USD)87%Population86.1%Stunting Prevalence (und…70.4%Intentional Homicides68.5%Net Migration49.6%
WIDE pair: the board is the GDP Growth Rate gap first (Kuwait HIC vs Saudi Arabia HIC).

Demographics: Population Density (Kuwait, 94% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
Population Density 272.4 15.7 2023
Population 4.9M 35.3M 2024
Population Ages 0-14 18.2% 23.8% 2024
Urban Population 100.0% 84.5% 2024

3 closer demographics rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Economy: GDP Growth Rate (Saudi Arabia, 174% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
GDP Growth Rate -1.5% 2.0% 2024
Foreign Direct Investment $614.6M $21.3B 2024
GDP (Current USD) $160.9B $1.2T 2024
Trade (% of GDP) 94.0% 54.7% 2024

4 closer economy rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Health: Stunting Prevalence (under 5) (Saudi Arabia, 70% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
Stunting Prevalence (under 5) 3.2% 10.8% 2023
Physicians (per 1,000 people) 2.3 3.4 2020
Infant Mortality Rate 7.0 4.7 2024
Under-5 Mortality Rate 8.1 6.0 2024

3 closer health rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Education: School Enrollment (Tertiary) (Saudi Arabia, 38% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
School Enrollment (Tertiary) 51.9% 83.9% 2021
School Enrollment (Primary) 82.4% 104.0% 2021
Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 6.4% 5.1% 2024

3 closer education rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Environment: Electric Power Consumption (Kuwait, 28% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
Electric Power Consumption 16,496 11,911 2023
CO2 Emissions Per Capita 23.7 18.5 2024

3 closer environment rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Infrastructure: Access to Sanitation (Kuwait, 16% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
Access to Sanitation 100.0% 83.9% 2024

4 closer infrastructure rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Social: Intentional Homicides (Saudi Arabia, 69% spread)

Indicator Kuwait Saudi Arabia Year
Intentional Homicides 0.2 0.9 2020
Net Migration 61.6K 122.2K 2024
Female Labor Participation 47.3% 33.3% 2024

1 closer social rows sit on the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

How to read this Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia comparison

Kuwait (HIC, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan) vs Saudi Arabia (HIC, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan) is a WIDE WDI pair: population is 7.2x smaller (4.9M vs 35.3M) and total GDP is 7.7x smaller ($160.9B vs $1.2T). The gap board leads on GDP Growth Rate (~174% relative spread) across 44 indicators in 8 topics. Same income tier; rate and stock gaps are the sharper policy read. Figures may come from different reporting years; dollar values move with exchange rates; national averages conceal inequality. See our methodology.

Other curated pairs · WIDE band

Indexable comparisons only (Module 42). Full picker with every country lives on /compare, not duplicated under every pair.

Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia figures: World Bank Open Data and health rows: WHO Global Health Observatory. CC BY 4.0 · same-band HIC · WIDE scale band.