If you lived in Kuwait instead of Kazakhstan, you would:

Health

live 10.0 years longer

In Kazakhstan, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 75.8% more spent on your healthcare

Kazakhstan spends $1,460 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kuwait spends $2,567 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 84.2% less likely to die by suicide

Kazakhstan has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 91.6% more likely to be obese

In Kazakhstan, 21.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 40.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 39.5% fewer doctors per person

Kazakhstan has 37.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kuwait has 22.7 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 54.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Kazakhstan, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 2.2 times more money

Kazakhstan has a GDP per capita of $14,692 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kazakhstan, approximately 10.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kuwait, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 48.7% fewer children

In Kazakhstan, there are approximately 19.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kuwait, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 32.5% more on education

Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kuwait spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

spend 31.6% more on healthcare

Kazakhstan spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 90.2% less likely to be murdered

Kazakhstan has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Kuwait, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

be 24.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Kazakhstan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kuwait, they kill 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

use 3.2 times more electricity

Kazakhstan uses 5,146 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

find 93.4% less home broadband

Kazakhstan has 15.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live with 111.2 times more strain on fresh water

Kazakhstan withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kuwait withdraws 3850% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 33.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Kazakhstan, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kuwait, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 88.3% more CO2

Kazakhstan emits 12.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is Kuwait compared to Kazakhstan? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kuwait or Kazakhstan. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.