Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Kuwait
Kuwait: Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) was 2.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Interest rate spread in Kuwait, 1980–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus deposit rate, %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for interest rate spread in Kuwait is 2.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest rate spread in Kuwait peaked at 4.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1981.
That places Kuwait 119th out of 141 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus deposit rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.3% | — |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -96.9% |
| 1982 | 0.2% | +144.2% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | +598.1% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -30.8% |
| 1985 | 1.5% | +77.5% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | +21.5% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | +16.7% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | -33.0% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | -31.8% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +21.8% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +9.6% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -69.0% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | +118.4% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | +116.6% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | +48.3% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | -8.9% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +14.6% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | -9.9% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | +35.1% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -9.3% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -15.5% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | +18.5% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | -7.3% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | -13.6% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -11.7% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | +19.0% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +7.8% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | -13.9% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 2.4% | -2.2% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 2.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.1%, 79% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 2.4% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.3%, 73% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Kuwait changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +598.1% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| 1982 | +144.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1993 | +118.4% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| 1994 | +116.6% | 0.9% | 1.9% |
| 1981 | -96.9% | 2.3% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.1% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 0.4% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
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 interest rate spread in Kuwait?
- Interest rate spread in Kuwait was 2.4% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest rate spread recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest interest rate spread recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1981.
- How does Kuwait rank for interest rate spread?
- Kuwait ranks 119th out of 141 countries with data for 2025.
- Is interest rate spread rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Interest rate spread is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the interest rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.