Kuwait: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 60.2% (2020), 105th of 176 in the world and 6th of 15 in the Middle East & North Africa. Primary enrolment is 82.4% (2021), 178th of 191 in the world and 17th of 19 in the Middle East & North Africa. Primary completion is 80.4% (2021), 134th of 168 in the world and 16th of 19 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Education: Kuwait in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 60.2%2020 | 105/176 | 6/15 | 78.0% | 84.0% | 60.2% | −23.7 ppsince 2010 | 33.8% | 83.8% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 82.4%2021 | 178/191 | 17/19 | 91.8% | 103.5% | 81.4% | −21.7 ppsince 2011 | 94.6% | 99.8% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 80.4%2021 | 134/168 | 16/19 | 90.3% | 101.2% | 83.4% | −19.9 ppsince 2011 | 83.7% | 97.8% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 95.4%2015 | — | — | 85.8% | 99.4% | · | −13.2 ppsince 2005 | 65.8% | 103.2% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 85.3%2021 | 98/168 | 10/19 | 83.1% | 94.7% | 89.0% | −9.3 ppsince 2010 | 66.7% | 95.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 51.9%2021 | 81/172 | 9/19 | 18.3%2001 | · | 53.7% | +31.9 ppsince 2004 | 29.7% | 82.0% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 7.5%2016 | — | — | 14.9% | 0.5% | · | +4.7 ppsince 2005 | — | 2.5% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 96.5%2020 | 52/141 | 7/18 | · | 94.5% | 96.5% | +2.0 ppsince 2010 | 75.6% | 97.7% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 99.3%2020 | 46/148 | 6/19 | · | 98.9% | 99.3% | +0.4 ppsince 2010 | 86.9% | 99.3% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 8.92018 | 169/173 | 20/20 | 13.8 | 8.4 | 8.92018 | −2.5%since 2008 | 21.3 | 14.0 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 6.4%2024 | 20/184 | 3/16 | 6.6%2001 | · | 6.2% | +2.7 ppsince 2006 | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 13.8%2025 | 73/179 | 9/15 | 22.0%2001 | · | 12.4% | +0.8 ppsince 2006 | 13.1% | 12.0% | 14.0% |
Better than ten years ago
- Tertiary enrolment+31.9 pp51.9% in 2021
- Adult literacy+2.0 pp96.5% in 2020
- Youth literacy+0.4 pp99.3% in 2020
- Pupils per teacher−2.5%8.9 in 2018
Worse than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment−23.7 pp60.2% in 2020
- Primary completion−19.9 pp80.4% in 2021
- Secondary enrolment−13.2 pp95.4% in 2015
- Lower secondary completion−9.3 pp85.3% in 2021
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Kuwait and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Kuwait. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Kuwait | Iran | Iraq | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 60.2%2020 | 72.5%2020 | 3.8%2011 | 18.3%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 82.4%2021 | 102.0%2023 | 104.6%2007 | 104.0%2024 |
| Primary completion | 80.4%2021 | 97.4%2023 | 63.6%2007 | 99.4%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 95.4%2015 | 85.1%2023 | 50.6%2007 | 110.7%2024 |
| Lower secondary completion | 85.3%2021 | 85.2%2023 | 44.9%2007 | 103.5%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 51.9%2021 | 58.7%2022 | 15.6%2005 | 83.9%2024 |
| Out-of-school children | 7.5%2016 | 0.1%2023 | 10.7%2007 | 0.5%2024 |
| Adult literacy | 96.5%2020 | 88.9%2023 | 84.1%2021 | 97.9%2024 |
| Youth literacy | 99.3%2020 | 98.7%2023 | 92.4%2021 | 99.9%2024 |