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MacroKuwait

Unemployment rate in Kuwait

How hard is it to have a job there?

Kuwait's unemployment rate is 2.18 % — #11 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

2.18%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Kuwait over time

3.49 %2.14 %0.80 %3.49 % · 20200.80 % · 20002000: 0.80 %2001: 0.80 %2002: 1.10 %2003: 1.30 %2004: 1.70 %2005: 1.46 %2006: 1.30 %2007: 1.50 %2008: 1.75 %2009: 1.64 %2010: 1.82 %2011: 2.05 %2012: 2.23 %2013: 2.46 %2014: 2.90 %2015: 2.20 %2016: 2.16 %2017: 2.23 %2018: 2.20 %2019: 2.21 %2020: 3.49 %2021: 2.97 %2022: 2.13 %2023: 2.08 %2024: 2.15 %2025: 2.18 %2000201220252.18 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#11 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
91 %
113 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.03 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
1.31 pp
peak 3.49 % in 2020
Full series
▲ 1.38 pp
since 2000

In Asia: #7 of 36vs median 5.25 %: −3.07 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Kuwait: ahead of 91 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentKuwait 2.18 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Kuwait is ahead of 91 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Kuwait
9 Russia2.13 %−0.05 pp
10 United Arab Emirates2.17 %−0.01 pp
11 Kuwait2.18 %—
12 Philippines2.23 %+0.05 pp
13 Japan2.45 %+0.27 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Kuwait

GDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Kuwait with another country →Everything about Kuwait →
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