Productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait
Kuwait: Productivity: output per hour worked was 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
down 13.7%
World rank
51st
of 130 countries
All-time high
88.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2008
All-time low
37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
Years of data
19
2005–2023
Productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait, 2005–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
In 2023, productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait stood at 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.7% on the previous year and down 52.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait peaked at 88.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2008 and was at its lowest, 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 2023.
That places Kuwait 51st out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 73.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 2006 | 80 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 76.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 88.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +16.0% |
| 2009 | 62.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -29.5% |
| 2010 | 65.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 78.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +19.4% |
| 2012 | 82.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 77.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 68.35 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -12.2% |
| 2015 | 43.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -36.2% |
| 2016 | 41.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 43.14 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 46.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.2% |
| 2019 | 45.81 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 48.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 46.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 43.34 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -13.7% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is below the median for high income countries, which is 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 73% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 28.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 76.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 62.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 88.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5 |
| 2010s | 59.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 41.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 82.62 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.91 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 48.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 48 Uruguay 38.73 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 49 Greece 37.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 50 Kazakhstan 37.57 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 52 Bulgaria 37.25 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 53 Russia 36.64 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 54 Iraq 36.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
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 productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait?
- Productivity: output per hour worked in Kuwait was 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity: output per hour worked recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 88.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2008.
- What is the lowest productivity: output per hour worked recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023.
- How does Kuwait rank for productivity: output per hour worked?
- Kuwait ranks 51st out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity: output per hour worked rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity: output per hour worked. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.