Photo: Jack Versloot · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Kuwait: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Kuwait is placed 178th of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 41.25 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.357 (2025).
Share
Gender & Equality
178th
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
- 41.25Women, Business and the Law, 2025WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.357Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- 2.776Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025Firms with a female top manager (%)
- —Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Kuwait on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
41.25
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Kuwait: 41.25. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 3.125 (Afghanistan) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.
- World median
- 81.25
- Best in Western Asia
- 96.88 Cyprus
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 50.63 · Saudi Arabia 73.75
Key 2 of 4
Women's Political Empowerment Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.357
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Kuwait: 0.357. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.
- World median
- 0.772
- Best in Western Asia
- 0.875 Armenia
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 0.555 · Saudi Arabia 0.347
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Kuwait’s is from 2025 · CC BY 4.0
2.776
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
Kuwait: 2.776. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.
- World median
- 19.16
- Best in Western Asia
- 28.23 Armenia
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 1.629 · Saudi Arabia 1.76
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
No reading
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
OECD publishes no 2023 figure for Kuwait, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.
- World median
- 25.2
- Best in Western Asia
- 23.7 Armenia
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 60 · Saudi Arabia 59.2
02Over time
Which way Kuwait is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Women, Business and the Law
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) · higher is better
KuwaitWorld median
Kuwait rose from 26.25 in 2000 to 41.25 in 2025; the world median went from 63.13 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Kuwait World median 2025 41.3 81.3 2023 38.1 81.3 2022 38.1 80.3 2021 38.1 80.0 2020 28.8 79.7 2019 26.3 78.8 2018 29.4 77.5 2017 29.4 77.5 2016 29.4 76.9 2015 29.4 75.9 2014 29.4 75.6 2013 29.4 75.0 2012 29.4 73.8 2011 29.4 73.1 2010 29.4 73.1 2009 26.3 72.5 2008 26.3 71.3 2007 26.3 69.7 2006 26.3 68.8 2005 26.3 67.2 2004 26.3 66.9 2003 26.3 64.7 2002 26.3 63.8 2001 26.3 63.8 2000 26.3 63.1 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
KuwaitWorld median
Kuwait rose from 0.328 in 2000 to 0.357 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Kuwait World median 2025 0.357 0.7715 2024 0.365 0.7745 2023 0.392 0.7755 2022 0.394 0.7825 2021 0.378 0.7785 2020 0.409 0.7755 2019 0.406 0.7665 2018 0.382 0.7715 2017 0.368 0.7710 2016 0.363 0.7780 2015 0.369 0.7755 2014 0.369 0.7795 2013 0.382 0.7730 2012 0.382 0.7740 2011 0.394 0.7650 2010 0.394 0.7610 2009 0.400 0.7515 2008 0.353 0.7505 2007 0.342 0.7380 2006 0.347 0.7290 2005 0.345 0.7350 2004 0.310 0.7205 2003 0.310 0.7160 2002 0.307 0.7150 2001 0.328 0.6950 2000 0.328 0.6810
03In context
Kuwait beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, never a place within the region.
Kuwait and the countries it borders
Standing among all 183; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Women, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) | Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1) | Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%) | Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia | 167th | 73.75 | 0.347 | 1.76 | 59.2 |
 Iraq | 173rd | 50.63 | 0.555 | 1.629 | 60 |
| Kuwait | 178th | 41.25 | 0.357 | 2.776 | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Western Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
The countries immediately above and below Kuwait in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Kuwait is ahead of the world, and behind
16 more statistics filed under gender & equality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median7
Statistics on which Kuwait does better than the middle country measured.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.461.57627.46▲ Improved since 2013
Kuwait: 1.576 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 213th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Births Attended by Skilled Health StaffUNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance) · 2023 · world median 99.310099.3▲ Improved since 2013
Kuwait: 100 · world median 99.3 · Births attended by skilled health staff (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 60.9 to 100; higher is better.
Position 1st of 84 · derived.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.657.7546.65▼ Worsened since 2013
Kuwait: 7.75 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 155th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9711.0110.971▼ Worsened since 2013
Kuwait: 1.011 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 40th of 184 · derived.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.1880.351▼ Worsened since 2013
Kuwait: 0.188 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 51st of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.998.796.9No earlier reading
Kuwait: 98.7 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.
Account Ownership Among WomenWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 71.2471.4971.24▼ Worsened since 2014
Kuwait: 71.49 · world median 71.24 · Women with an account (% of women aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.91 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 69th of 139 · derived.
Behind the world median6
Statistics on which Kuwait does worse than the middle country measured.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2567.671.25▼ Worsened since 2013
Kuwait: 67.6 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.
Position 107th of 196 · derived.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3647.253.36▼ Worsened since 2015
Kuwait: 47.2 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 131st of 182 · derived.
Gender Social Norms IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 91.8198.4791.81No earlier reading
Kuwait: 98.47 · world median 91.81 · People with at least one bias against gender equality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 27.39 to 99.92; lower is better.
Position 22nd of 91 · derived, 1st = worst.
Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 303▼ Worsened since 2015
Kuwait: 0 · world median 3 · Paid paternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 196; higher is better.
Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 987098▼ Worsened since 2015
Kuwait: 70 · world median 98 · Paid maternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 410; higher is better.
Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.122.8435.12No earlier reading
Kuwait: 2.84 · world median 35.12 · Firms with at least one woman among the owners (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.273 to 86.78; higher is better.
Position 179th of 181 · derived.
No better end3
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1751.4938.17No earlier reading
Kuwait: 51.49 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.6525.724.65No earlier reading
Kuwait: 25.7 · world median 24.65 · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years). UN DESA Population Division, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 17 to 34.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1104.7105.1Moved since 2013
Kuwait: 104.7 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.
No current reading for Kuwait
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Caesarean Section Rate, Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Female Share of STEM Graduates, Female-Headed Households, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment (last 2021), Global Gender Parity Index, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Social Institutions and Gender Index, Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife, Women's Empowerment Index and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Gender & Equality among Kuwait’s 15 topics
Gender & Equality is Kuwait’s 14th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Work & Labour12th of 1824/4 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 47th of 1984/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing49th of 2004/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience62nd of 1933/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 61st of 1842/4 keys
- Development & Human Capitaljoint 76th of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions76th of 1944/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation87th of 1764/4 keys
- Mobility & Tradejoint 91st of 1773/4 keys
- Peace & Security103rd of 1774/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 136th of 1984/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge138th of 1983/4 keys
- Energy121st of 1653/3 keys
- Gender & Equality178th of 1833/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability184th of 1863/4 keys
No standing on Poverty & Inequality: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on gender & equality
The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Kuwait can most readily be measured against.
1
LatviaNorthern Europe
1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
TaiwanEastern Asia
2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
ItalySouthern Europe
3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Taiwan2nd3/4 keysHighest in Western Asia
Armenia=34th4/4 keysThis page
Kuwait178th3/4 keys
Positions out of 183 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Kuwait on gender & equality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Kuwait rank on gender & equality?
Kuwait is placed 178th of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index and Firms with a Female Top Manager). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Kuwait?
41.25 in 2025 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.
What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Kuwait?
0.357 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.
How does Kuwait compare with Iraq on gender & equality?
Iraq is placed 173rd of 183, and Kuwait 178th. Women, Business and the Law: Iraq 50.63, Kuwait 41.25; Women's Political Empowerment Index: Iraq 0.555, Kuwait 0.357; Firms with a Female Top Manager: Iraq 1.629, Kuwait 2.776.
How have Kuwait’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 26.25 in 2000 to 41.25 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.328 in 2000 to 0.357 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Kuwait?
No current reading is published for Kuwait on Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Caesarean Section Rate, Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Female Share of STEM Graduates, Female-Headed Households, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment, Global Gender Parity Index, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Social Institutions and Gender Index, Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife, Women's Empowerment Index and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.
How the Gender & Equality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The gender & equality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firms with a Female Top Manager — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Social Institutions and Gender Index — OECD, OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
The other 16 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Kuwait’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Kuwait (banner) — Jack Versloot, CC BY 2.0
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Kuwait: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/kuwait/gender