Labor force participation rate in Kuwait
Kuwait: Labor force participation rate was 73.36 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
73.36
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
22nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
74.35
in 2022
All-time low
63.36
in 1992
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Kuwait, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate in Kuwait stood at 73.36.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Kuwait peaked at 74.35 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 63.36, in 1992.
Kuwait ranks 22nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 64.95 | — |
| 1991 | 64.1 | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 63.36 | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 63.85 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 65.87 | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 67.25 | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 67.32 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 66.8 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 66.34 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 66.03 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 65.93 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 66.09 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 66.5 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 67.13 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 67.93 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 68.3 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 68.08 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 67.89 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 67.94 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 68.22 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 68.7 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 69.7 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 70.72 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 71.33 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 71.84 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 72.32 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 72.7 | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 73.39 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 73.57 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 73.33 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 69.2 | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 70.58 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 74.35 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 73.97 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 73.56 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 73.36 | -0.3% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 73.36 is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 73.36 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 44.99, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.59 | 63.36 | 67.32 | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.4 | 65.93 | 68.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.76 | 68.7 | 73.57 | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.51 | 69.2 | 74.35 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More work & labour data for Kuwait
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.801 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.7211 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.9054 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2002)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.4407 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,644 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 0 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,171 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,431 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 9,602 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Kuwait?
- Labor force participation rate in Kuwait was 73.36 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 74.35 in 2022.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.36 in 1992.
- How does Kuwait rank for labor force participation rate?
- Kuwait ranks 22nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).