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

Health

be 99.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 20.3 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kuwait spends $2,567 as of 2023.

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have 4.1 times more doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kuwait has 22.7 as of 2020.

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have 39.3% more access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kuwait scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 91.5% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 36.6% more likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 40.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 93.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

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make 7.9 times more money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.

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Life

be 93.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kuwait, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 83.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Kuwait, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 57.6% fewer children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 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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Basic Needs

be 15.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 57.7% more likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kuwait, about 100.0% do as of 2025.

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be 24.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Kuwait, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 33.9% less on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 98.0% less likely to be murdered

Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 62.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kuwait, they kill 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

use 13.8 times more electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.

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find 59.8% less home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.

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live with 49.6 times more strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kuwait withdraws 3850% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 31.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kuwait, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.

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emit 26.9 times more CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 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), 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.
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