rly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues,
and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural
development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends
almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be
distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign
oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$48 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 60.5%
services: 39.1% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.42 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA

Unemployment rate:
2.2% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $35.82 billion
expenditures: $19.53 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
29.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
practically no crops; fish

Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair,
desalination, food processing, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
-5% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
32.43 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
30.16 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
2.319 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
293,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.97 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
96.5 billion bbl (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production:
8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.548 trillion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$12.04 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$27.42 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)