Kuwait — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Kuwait, 1990–2025.
Labor participation for Kuwait was 73.36% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 74.35% in 2022. The lowest was 63.36% in 1992 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.35% per year.
Kuwait ranks 22 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 12%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 44.99%, so Kuwait sits above it. It peaked in 2022 and has fallen 1% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 1%. Within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan it ranks 3 of 23 economies; Bahrain (70.43%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 6% in 2020.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 199 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 67th of 187 in 1990 → 56th of 187 in 2000 → 36th of 187 in 2010 → 29th of 187 in 2020 → 21st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 73.36% | -0.2 pp |
| 2024 | 73.56% | -0.4 pp |
| 2023 | 73.97% | -0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 74.35% | +3.8 pp |
| 2021 | 70.58% | +1.4 pp |
| 2020 | 69.2% | -4.1 pp |
| 2019 | 73.33% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 73.57% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 73.39% | +0.7 pp |
| 2016 | 72.7% | +0.4 pp |
| 2015 | 72.32% | +0.5 pp |
| 2014 | 71.85% | +0.5 pp |
| 2013 | 71.33% | +0.6 pp |
| 2012 | 70.72% | +1.0 pp |
| 2011 | 69.7% | +1.0 pp |
| 2010 | 68.7% | +0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 68.22% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 67.94% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 67.89% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 68.08% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 68.3% | +0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 67.93% | +0.8 pp |
| 2003 | 67.13% | +0.6 pp |
| 2002 | 66.5% | +0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 66.09% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 65.93% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 66.03% | -0.3 pp |
| 1998 | 66.34% | -0.5 pp |
| 1997 | 66.8% | -0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 67.32% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 67.25% | +1.4 pp |
| 1994 | 65.87% | +2.0 pp |
| 1993 | 63.85% | +0.5 pp |
| 1992 | 63.36% | -0.7 pp |
| 1991 | 64.1% | -0.8 pp |
| 1990 | 64.95% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Kuwait’s Labor participation in 1991?
64.1% (1991). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Kuwait’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +13.0% in total — about 0.3% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 73.36%; 2024: 73.56%; 2023: 73.97%; 2022: 74.35%; 2021: 70.58%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.