Western Asia · KWT
Kuwait
The story · 9 chapters
How it was drawn
A pearling and trading town at the head of the Gulf, ruled by the Al Sabah since the eighteenth century, a British protectorate from 1899 and independent since 1961.
Play the story Take the first lessonThrough the ages
Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states Kuwait fought or stood against, from the first to today.
- Ottoman Empire1871 to 1914
The Ottomans regard Kuwait as part of Basra province. Fearing annexation, Mubarak turns to Britain in 1899, and when the First World War begins in 1914 Britain recognises Kuwait as an independent sheikhdom under its protection.
- Emirate of Najd (Ikhwan)1920 to 1922
Ibn Saud's Ikhwan warriors attack Jahra in October 1920, where the Red Fort holds out until help arrives. Britain's Uqair settlement of 1922 ends the fighting but gives Najd much of the land Kuwait claimed.
- Iraq1938 to 1963
King Ghazi of Iraq claims Kuwait in 1938. When Kuwait becomes independent in 1961, Iraq's leader Abd al-Karim Qasim claims it again, and British troops deploy. After his fall, Iraq recognises Kuwait in 1963.
- Iraq1990 to 1994
Saddam Hussein accuses Kuwait of stealing oil and keeping prices low, invades on 2 August 1990 and declares it Iraq's nineteenth province. A US-led coalition liberates Kuwait in February 1991, and Iraq accepts the UN-demarcated border in 1994.
The two states share the narrow Khor Abdullah waterway, vital to Iraq's ports. A 2012 navigation agreement based on the UN-drawn border is annulled by Iraq's Federal Supreme Court in 2023, and the dispute is unresolved.
When Kuwait and Saudi Arabia agree in 2022 to develop the offshore Durra gas field, Iran says it owns part of it, calling it Arash. The sea boundary between Kuwait and Iran has never been fixed.
Today
Kuwait now
Kuwait has been ruled by the AL-SABAH dynasty since the 18th century. The threat of Ottoman invasion in 1899 prompted Amir Mubarak AL-SABAH to seek protection from Britain, ceding foreign and defense responsibility to Britain until 1961, when the country attained its independence. Iraq attacked and overran Kuwait in 1990. After several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN coalition began a ground assault in 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days.
- Capital
- Kuwait City
- Government
- constitutional monarchy (emirate)
- Head of government
- Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah
- Head of state
- Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
- Languages
- Arabic
- Area
- 17,820 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population4.8 million2023 · 154,000 in 1950
- Life expectancy80.4 years2023 · 49.7 years in 1950
- GDP per person$71,5332022 · $46,031 in 1950
- Living in cities100%2025 · 62% in 1950
- Literacy97%2020 · 18% in 1950
- Political regimeClosed autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- Military spending4.7% of GDP2025
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- United States
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- Bahrain
- Qatar
Tensions
- Iran, Islamic Rep.
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.