Kuwait: country facts, travel advice and health

Roaming is costly; buy a cheap Zain, Ooredoo or Viva SIM at an official branch or phone shop, with a passport.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Apps locals use

Careem: book taxis with usually short waits and fair prices; Uber does not operate.Citybuskw: check whether a city bus is really running, which Google Maps gets wrong.Kuwait Finder: the official map app for finding a place by area, block and street.Mawqif: find and pay for parking.WhatsApp: make international calls over the internet instead of paying high overseas rates.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 4 of 5: Cards are accepted almost everywhere, though a little cash still helps.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Kuwait

Kuwaiti Dinar · KWD

Cash machines are everywhere and charge no withdrawal fee for foreign cards.

Keep some cash, as foreign cards are not always accepted, for example at petrol stations or street parking.

Exchange office rates vary a lot, so compare a few before changing money.

Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, but agree the fare before getting in.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Kuwaiti Dinar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)

Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)

Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)

Source: Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Kuwait say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Reconsider travel

Calm

Caution

Serious ●

Don’t go

Level 3 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 22 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 20 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine vaccines incl. measles; hepatitis A if unvaccinated (age 1+); typhoid and hepatitis B for most.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine vaccines including measles; hepatitis A is recommended for unvaccinated travellers aged one and over, and typhoid and hepatitis B are advised for most visitors.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Kuwait City

The capital and base for most sights, malls and restaurants.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

The Kuwaiti dinar is the most valuable currency unit in the world.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: National Anthem of Kuwait. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $157.2 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $32,312Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, hydrocarbons, plastics (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	4.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	30.4 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	79.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Muslim (official) 74.6%, Christian 18.2%, other and unspecified 7.2% (2013 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2013 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	17,818 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool wintersSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	flat to slightly undulating desert plainSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	constitutional monarchy (emirate)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+965Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).