Kuwait: the labour market
Labour force is 2.9m (2025), 112th of 187 in the world and 15th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Participation rate is 73.4% (2025), 22nd of 187 in the world and 3rd of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Women's participation is 47.2% (2025), 133rd of 187 in the world and 5th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Labour: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 2.9m2025 | 112/187 | 15/23 | 910,204 | 1.6m | 2.4m | +35%since 2015 | 264m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 73.4%2025 | 22/187 | 3/23 | 65.9% | 68.7% | 69.2% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 47.4% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 47.2%2025 | 133/187 | 5/23 | 44.2% | 47.3% | 46.5% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 19.7% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 71.8%2025 | 18/187 | 3/23 | 65.4% | 67.4% | 66.8% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 43.7% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 2.2%2025 | 168/187 | 20/23 | 0.8% | 1.8% | 3.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 7.8% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 6.0%2025 | 91/187 | 18/23 | 1.7% | 2.8% | 8.5% | +1.3 ppsince 2015 | 12.1% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 15.1%2025 | 79/187 | 15/23 | 3.0% | 8.6% | 19.1% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 18.7% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 96.8%2025 | 3/187 | 3/23 | 96.7% | 98.5% | 97.3% | −2.0 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 2.4%2025 | 183/187 | 19/23 | 2.8% | 1.0% | 2.1% | +1.8 ppsince 2015 | 36.1% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 1.9%2025 | 162/187 | 17/23 | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.0% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 24.6%2025 | 46/187 | 13/23 | 19.5% | 24.2% | 24.8% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 26.6% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 73.5%2025 | 44/187 | 7/23 | 78.1% | 73.4% | 73.2% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 51.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Better than ten years ago
- Employment rate+1.0 pp71.8% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−1.1 pp15.1% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−2.4 pp47.2% in 2025
- Female unemployment+1.3 pp6.0% in 2025
- Wage workers−2.0 pp96.8% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+1.8 pp2.4% in 2025
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 2.9m2025 | 29.5m2025 | 12.5m2025 | 18.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 73.4%2025 | 41.0%2025 | 41.5%2025 | 65.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 47.2%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 10.9%2025 | 33.6%2025 |
| Employment rate | 71.8%2025 | 37.6%2025 | 35.1%2025 | 63.1%2025 |
| Unemployment | 2.2%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 15.5%2025 | 3.0%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 6.0%2025 | 15.6%2025 | 30.1%2025 | 9.7%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 15.1%2025 | 21.9%2025 | 32.0%2025 | 10.0%2025 |
| Wage workers | 96.8%2025 | 57.1%2025 | 68.3%2025 | 94.5%2025 |
| Vulnerable employment | 2.4%2025 | 39.5%2025 | 27.1%2025 | 1.7%2025 |