Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
live 9.1 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 26.1% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
have 17.0% fewer doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
be 32.0% more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 33.0% more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.0% less on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 67.7% less coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 60.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.0 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 35.3% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 55.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.5% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.