Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Oil rents as a share of GDP
Kuwait
27.6%
in 2020
Saudi Arabia
23.7%
in 2021
Kuwait rank
5th
Saudi Arabia rank
6th
Oil rents as a share of GDP over time
- Kuwait
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Kuwait currently reports 27.6% against 23.7% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 3.9%.
That makes Kuwait's figure about 1.2 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Kuwait ahead.
Kuwait ranks 5th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 199 countries.
Kuwait has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.9% | 45.1% | 7.8% | Kuwait |
| 1980s | 37.6% | 37.0% | 0.6% | Kuwait |
| 1990s | 33.3% | 30.3% | 3.0% | Kuwait |
| 2000s | 46.0% | 42.1% | 4.0% | Kuwait |
| 2010s | 46.0% | 33.9% | 12.0% | Kuwait |
| 2020s | 27.6% | 16.0% | 11.6% | Kuwait |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil rents as a share of gdp, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?
- Kuwait, at 27.6% against 23.7% in Saudi Arabia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in oil rents as a share of gdp between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?
- 3.9%, with Kuwait ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2020.
- How do Kuwait and Saudi Arabia rank globally for oil rents as a share of gdp?
- Kuwait ranks 5th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Oil rents as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Economic profits generated from oil extraction, measured as the difference between production value and costs, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.