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Background: Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.
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Common Name: Kuwait
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Local Official Name: Al Kuwayt
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Abbreviated Name: State of Kuwait
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Official Name: Dawlat al Kuwayt
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Official Script Name: Kuwait
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Local Common Name: Kuwait
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Former Name: Kuwait
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
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Government Type: nominal constitutional monarchy
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Independence: 1961 June 19 (from UK)
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Constitution: approved and promulgated 1962 November 11
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National Holiday: National Day, 25 February
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International Organization Participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females (as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizen years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah
head of government: Prime Minister NASIR al-Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 7 February 2006) First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Ismail al-SHATTI (since 10 July 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir
elections: none; the amir is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the amir
Legislative Branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly
Judicial Branch:
High Court of Appeal
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Party Leaders: none; formation of political parties is illegal
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International Disputes: Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Kuwait: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
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Continent: Middle East
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Land Area Total: 17,820 sq km
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Region: Middle Eastern |
Land Area Land: 17,820 sq km
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Capitol City: Kuwait
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current: +3
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Latitude: 029 30 N
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Border Boundary Land: 462 km
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Longitude: 045 45 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 499 km
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Arable Land: 0.84 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.17 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 306 m
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Location: unnamed location
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Persian Gulf
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Largest City in Kuwait: Kuwait City
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Kuwait City Largest City Population: 1,165,000
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Threatened Species: 15
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Environmental Issues: limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping
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Irrigated Land: 130
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Bordering Countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
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Natural Resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
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Geographical Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
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Comparative Area of Kuwait: slightly smaller than New Jersey
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Kuwait's Geography: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Kuwait.
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General Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
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Natural Hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August
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Economic Overview: Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.
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GDP: $47,360,000,000 USD
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Currency: Kuwaiti dinar
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GDP per Capita: $20,300 USD
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Currency Code: KD
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GDP Growth Rate: 8.30 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% KD
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 0.40 %
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GDP of Industry: 47.90 %
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GDP of Services: 51.60 % |
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Inflation Rate: 4.10 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 2.20 %
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Tourism: 77,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $47,210,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $20,770,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 38,190,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 38,190,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 2,418,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 8,300,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 305,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 1,970,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 96,500,000,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 1,572,000,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $16,120,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $0 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: practically no crops; fish
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Primary Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials
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Industrial Growth Rate: 13.10 %
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Import Amount in USD: $12,230,000,000 USD - food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
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Import Partners: US 14%, Germany 10.7%, Japan 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 6.2%, UK 5.6%, France 4.8%, China 4.5%
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Export Amount in USD: $44,430,000,000 USD - oil and refined products, fertilizers
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Export Partners: Japan 23%, US 14%, South Korea 13%, Singapore 7%, Netherlands 6%, Pakistan 6%, Indonesia 4%, UK 2%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 1,670,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 18 |
Number of People with Radios: 1,175,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 13 |
Number of People with Televisions: 875,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 510,300 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 2,380,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 2,439 |
Internet Users: 700,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .kw |
Newspapers: 374 |
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Two Letter Country Code: KU |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 965 |
Electricity Voltage: 240 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones
international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat
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Highways: 3,587 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 766 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 4 |
Heliports: 5
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Motor Vehicles: 397 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 50,025,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 28.90 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,424,983 GRT/3,996,755 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, petroleum tanker 21
registered in other countries: 28 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 5, UAE 8)
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Ports and Harbors: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi
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Population: 2,418,393 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 21.94 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 142.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 2.41 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 3.52% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.91 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 331,768 |
Population Female 0-14: 319,895 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,085,721 |
Population Female 15-64: 613,746 |
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Population Male 65+: 42,460 |
Population Female 65+: 24,803 |
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Population 0-14: 26.90% |
Literacy Rate: 83.50% |
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Population 15-64: 70.30% |
Literacy rate of Males: 85.10% |
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Population 65+: 2.80% |
Literacy rate of Females: 81.70% |
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Population that is Male: 76.00
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Population that is Female: 24.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 77.20 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 9.71 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 76.13 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 78.31 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.12%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 15.66
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Nationality: KUWAITI
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Ethnic Groups: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
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Primary Language: Arabic
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Other Languages: Arabic (official), English widely spoken
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Primary Religion: Muslim
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Other Religions: Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
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Branches: Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes air defense force), National Guard
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 1,331,865 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 1,142,499 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 38,808 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 4.20
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Kuwait Spa and Resort Directory
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Kuwait Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Kuwait Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Kuwait City Information Game Earn Real Money
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