Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Kuwait
Kuwait: Domestic credit to private sector by banks was 4.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Kuwait, 1962–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 4.9% for domestic credit to private sector by banks in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.4% on the previous year and down 95.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, domestic credit to private sector by banks in Kuwait peaked at 105.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2022.
Kuwait ranks 184th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 6.4% | — |
| 1963 | 8.4% | +31.8% |
| 1964 | 8.2% | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 9.9% | +21.3% |
| 1966 | 10.1% | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 11.1% | +9.9% |
| 1968 | 14.1% | +27.3% |
| 1969 | 13.7% | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 13.4% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 10.6% | -20.4% |
| 1972 | 12.0% | +12.9% |
| 1973 | 15.4% | +28.6% |
| 1974 | 9.2% | -40.2% |
| 1975 | 14.4% | +55.7% |
| 1976 | 24.0% | +67.2% |
| 1977 | 30.2% | +25.6% |
| 1978 | 36.2% | +20.0% |
| 1979 | 30.5% | -15.6% |
| 1980 | 34.0% | +11.2% |
| 1981 | 52.4% | +54.4% |
| 1982 | 72.2% | +37.7% |
| 1983 | 71.8% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 72.4% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 73.4% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 93.5% | +27.4% |
| 1987 | 83.0% | -11.3% |
| 1988 | 90.8% | +9.4% |
| 1989 | 73.7% | -18.9% |
| 1991 | 26.7% | -63.7% |
| 1992 | 17.7% | -33.7% |
| 1993 | 17.2% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 23.1% | +34.5% |
| 1995 | 30.0% | +30.1% |
| 1996 | 33.7% | +12.1% |
| 1997 | 47.0% | +39.6% |
| 1998 | 60.7% | +29.3% |
| 1999 | 54.7% | -9.9% |
| 2000 | 45.4% | -17.0% |
| 2001 | 56.6% | +24.8% |
| 2002 | 58.3% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 59.5% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 56.4% | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 50.9% | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 50.0% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 59.6% | +19.3% |
| 2008 | 57.3% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 79.1% | +38.1% |
| 2010 | 74.6% | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 60.8% | -18.5% |
| 2012 | 55.7% | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 59.8% | +7.2% |
| 2014 | 67.6% | +13.2% |
| 2015 | 98.5% | +45.6% |
| 2016 | 105.2% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 98.7% | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 90.6% | -8.2% |
| 2019 | 92.0% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | -93.5% |
| 2021 | 4.7% | -22.0% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -23.9% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | +29.5% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | -4.5% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | +12.4% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 4.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 64.3%, 8% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 4.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 56.4%, 9% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.2% | 6.4% | 14.1% | 8 |
| 1970s | 19.6% | 9.2% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.7% | 34.0% | 93.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.5% | 17.2% | 60.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 57.3% | 45.4% | 79.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.4% | 55.7% | 105.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 3.5% | 6.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 181 Yemen 5.6% compare
- 182 Sierra Leone 5.5% compare
- 183 Somalia 5.4% compare
- 185 South Sudan 3.2% compare
- 186 Haiti 3.1% compare
- 187 Afghanistan 3.0% compare
More financial sector data for Kuwait
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 11.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0044 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 142.41 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 5.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0032 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 103.99 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 11.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0044 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 142.41 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 5.86 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is domestic credit to private sector by banks in Kuwait?
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Kuwait was 4.9% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest domestic credit to private sector by banks recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 105.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest domestic credit to private sector by banks recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2022.
- How does Kuwait rank for domestic credit to private sector by banks?
- Kuwait ranks 184th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is domestic credit to private sector by banks rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 95.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Domestic credit to private sector by banks refers to financial resources provided to the private sector by other depository corporations (deposit taking corporations except central banks), such as through loans, purchases of nonequity securities, and trade credits and other accounts receivable, that establish a claim for repayment. For some countries these claims include credit to public enterprises. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.