Male labor participation rate in Kuwait
Kuwait: Male labor participation rate was 88.56 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
88.56
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
3rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
88.83
in 2023
All-time low
79.28
in 1992
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Male labor participation rate in Kuwait, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 88.56 for male labor participation rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, male labor participation rate in Kuwait peaked at 88.83 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 79.28, in 1992.
That places Kuwait 3rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Male labor participation rate in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 80.96 | — |
| 1991 | 80.03 | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 79.28 | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 79.58 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 81.49 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 82.83 | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 82.45 | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 81.46 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 80.58 | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 79.92 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 79.57 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 79.57 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 79.91 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 80.53 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 81.58 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 82.23 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 82.29 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 82.35 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 82.66 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 83.17 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 83.88 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 84.99 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 86 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 86.56 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 86.94 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 87.19 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.3 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 87.52 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 87.39 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 87.11 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 82.65 | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 84.28 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 88.62 | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 88.83 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 88.74 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 88.56 | -0.2% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 88.56 is above the median for high income countries, which is 68.77, 1.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 88.56 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 69.76, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.86 | 79.28 | 82.83 | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.39 | 79.57 | 83.17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.49 | 83.88 | 87.52 | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.95 | 82.65 | 88.83 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 1 Qatar 95.56 compare
- 2 United Arab Emirates 91.55 compare
- 4 Oman 88.1 compare
- 5 Madagascar 88.09 compare
- 6 Cambodia 87.82 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 male labor participation rate in Kuwait?
- Male labor participation rate in Kuwait was 88.56 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest male labor participation rate recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 88.83 in 2023.
- What is the lowest male labor participation rate recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.28 in 1992.
- How does Kuwait rank for male labor participation rate?
- Kuwait ranks 3rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is male labor participation rate rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. 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 Male labor 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).