1 month ago
9
PROTECT YOURSELF with Orgo-Life® QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by Adpathway
by FlagPictures.orgLocated at the tip of the Persian Gulf in Western Asia, the State of Kuwait shipped US$62.8 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.
That dollar amount results from a -0.04% flatlining slowdown compared to $63.1 billion 5 years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of Kuwaiti exported products shrank by -17.3% compared to $76 billion starting from 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, the Kuwaiti dinar strengthened by 1.7% against the US dollar since 2021 but depreciated by -0.02% from 2024 to 2025. Kuwait’s stronger local currency versus 2021 made Kuwaiti exports paid for starting from weaker US dollars relatively more expensive for international buyers starting with American currency.
Kuwait’s top 3 most valuable exports are crude oil, processed petroleum oils, and petroleum gases. Collectively, that trio of main exports accounted for 91.8% of Kuwaiti export sales for 2025. Such a high percentage testifies to Kuwait’s intensely concentrated portfolio of exported products.
Given Kuwait’s population over 5.1 million people, its total US$62.8 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $12,300 for every resident in the Middle Eastern country. That dollar metric lags the average $15,200 per capita one year earlier for 2024.
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Kuwaiti global shipments during 2025 at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Kuwait.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$58 billion (92.4% of total exports)
- Organic chemicals: $1.6 billion (2.5%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $704.2 million (1.1%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $660.3 million (1.1%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $597.2 million (1%)
- Gems, precious metals: $137.2 million (0.2%)
- Iron, steel: $117.8 million (0.2%)
- Aluminum: $111.2 million (0.2%)
- Copper: $108.1 million (0.2%)
- Other chemical goods: $58.7 million (0.1%)
Kuwait’s top 10 export categories accounted for 98.9% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Aircraft and spacecraft represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 115,157% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was salt, sulphur, stone and cement via an 8,763% advance.
Kuwait’s shipments of copper posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 207.6%.
The leading decliner among Kuwait’s top 10 export categories was gems and precious metals, thanks to a -55.8% year-over-year drop.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, the top 10 most valuable export products are led by crude oil which represents Kuwait’s 50.9% of the country’s total international sales. In second place were processed petroleum oils (35.7%) trailed by petroleum gases (5.2%), cyclic hydrocarbons (1.4%), aircraft and spacecraft (1.1%), acyclic alcohols (1%), non-sublimed sulphur (also 1%), ethylene polymers (0.8%), petroleum oil residues (0.4%) then propylene or olefin polymers (0.2%).
Products Generating Kuwait’s Largest Trade Surpluses
Overall Kuwait achieved an estimated US$34 billion trade surplus for 2025, reducing by -10.1% from $37.9 billion in black ink one year earlier.
The following types of Kuwaiti product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$57.7 billion (Down by -16% since 2024)
- Organic chemicals: $1.4 billion (Down by -4.6%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $529.3 million (Down by -230.4%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $61.3 million (Down by -76%)
- Copper: $18.6 million (Reversing a -$218.7 million deficit)
- Lead: $14.8 million (Up by 238.1%)
- Milling products, malt, starches: $7.1 million (Down by -51.7%)
- Woodpulp: $3.7 million (Reversing a -$706,000 deficit)
- Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $777,000 (Reversing a -$3,000 deficit)
Historically, Kuwait earns highly positive net exports in the international trade of petroleum oils (both crude and refined) as well as petroleum gases. In turn, these cashflows indicate Kuwait’s strong competitive advantages under the mineral fuels-related product category.
Products Causing Kuwait’s Worst Trade Deficits
Below are exports from Kuwait that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Kuwait’s goods trail Kuwaiti importer spending on foreign products.
- Vehicles: -US$5.4 billion (Up by 34% since 2024)
- Machinery including computers: -$2.9 billion (Up by 5.9%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1.9 billion (Down by -38.5%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$1.6 billion (Up by 49.7%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: -$1.4 billion (Up by 113.9%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$1.1 billion (Down by -50.4%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$741 million (Down by -5.5%)
- Meat: -$728 million (Down by -15.9%)
- Dairy, eggs, honey: -$603.3 million (Up by 1.3%)
- Furniture, bedding, lighting , signs, prefab buildings: -$544.8 million (Up by 4.3%)
Kuwait has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits notably caused by purchases of imported vehicles especially cars but also trucks and automotive parts or accessories.
Kuwaiti Export Companies
Four Kuwaiti corporations rank among the Forbes Global 2000.
- National Bank of Kuwait (financials)
- Kuwait Finance House (financials)
- Zain (telecommunications)
- Kuwait Projects (financials)
Wikipedia also lists exporters from Kuwait. Selected examples are shown below.
- Afco Aluminium Factory (aluminum)
- Gulfsat (telecommunications)
- Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (petroleum)
- Kuwait National Petroleum Company (petrochemicals)
- Kuwait Oxygen And Acetylene Company (chemicals)
- Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (petroleum)
- Qualitynet (telecommunications)
- United Fisheries of Kuwait (food)
In macroeconomic terms, Kuwait’s total exported goods represent 24.1% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($260.5 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 24.1% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 30.5% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Kuwait’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Kuwait’s unemployment rate averaged 2.2% in 2025, equaling the average 2.2% jobless rate in 2024 according to Trading Economics statistics.
Kuwait’s capital city is Kuwait City.
See also Crude Oil Exports by Country, Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Exports, India’s Top Trading Partners, Qatar’s Top 10 Exports and China’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on September 18, 2026
EXCHANGE-RATES.org, Exchange Rates Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) To US Dollar (USD). Accessed on September 18, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 18, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 18, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 18, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 18, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on September 18, 2026
Wikipedia, Kuwait. Accessed on September 18, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Kuwait. Accessed on September 18, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on September 18, 2026
English (US) · 
French (CA) · 
French (FR) ·