Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Kuwait instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Economy

be 22.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

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make 43.3% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.0 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kuwait, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Kuwait, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 69.0% more on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Kuwait spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 31.9% less coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Kuwait, that number is 499 km.

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Safety

be 34.2% less likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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Infrastructure

use 2.6 times more electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.

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find 97.5% less home broadband

Hong Kong has 40.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 5.1 times more CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Kuwait

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Kuwait is 57.1% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 16 times smaller than Kuwait.
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Moving from Hong Kong to Kuwait · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Kuwait: At a glance

Kuwait is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 17,818 sq km. 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. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive. The country witnessed the historic election in 2009 of four women to its National Assembly. Amid the 2010-11 uprisings and protests across the Arab world, stateless Arabs, known as bidun, staged small protests in February and March 2011 demanding citizenship, jobs, and other benefits available to Kuwaiti nationals. Youth activist groups - supported by opposition legislators - rallied repeatedly in 2011 for the prime minister's dismissal amid allegations of widespread government corruption. Demonstrators forced the prime minister to resign in late 2011. In late 2012, Kuwait witnessed unprecedented protests in response to the Amir's changes to the electoral law by decree reducing the number of votes per person from four to one. The opposition, led by a coalition of Sunni Islamists, tribalists, some liberals, and myriad youth groups, largely boycotted legislative elections in 2012 and 2013 ushering in legislatures more amenable to the government's agenda. Since 2006, the Amir has dissolved the National Assembly on five occasions (the Constitutional Court annulled the Assembly in June 2012 and again in June 2013) and shuffled the cabinet over a dozen times, usually citing political stagnation and gridlock between the legislature and the government.
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