This chapter contains an overview of the legal framework for local and international investors in Kuwait and provides a rundown of the key improvements that have been made to the business environment. These include recently introduced public-private partnership laws and a new state agency set up to promote foreign direct investment.
During the 2013/14 academic year, the government operated a total of 803 public schools, with a total enrolment of 360,845 pupils and a teaching staff of 60,902. As demand grows, reforms designed to underpin the sector’s role in the government’s economic diversification plan are being implemented in line with Kuwait Vision 2035, the country’s long-term development strategy. A greater focus on...
Kuwait’s rapidly changing demographic profile and increased prosperity have given rise to various lifestyle changes that have fuelled a rise in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. To counter this, and to free up public resources for healthy living initiatives, the government is encouraging greater private sector involvement in the sector, starting with provision of health care for...
With GDP per capita among the highest in the world at $43,200, Kuwait is seeing its retail market continue to perform robustly, underpinned by a strong appetite for luxury products and the strong purchasing power of a young and diverse population. The value of wholesale and retail trade in Kuwait grew 22% between 2010 and 2013, reaching a value of $5.65bn. Meanwhile, the local retail market is...
A programme to boost oil production in Kuwait has stimulated growth in construction and petrochemicals. After hydrocarbons extraction and refining, the petrochemicals industry is the largest in Kuwait, with the bulk of production exported to Asia. Manufacturing, meanwhile, is set for continued growth as the country makes a greater push to diversify its industrial base – efforts that will be...
Access to the internet, especially via mobile devices, has accelerated rapidly in Kuwait since the government liberalised the telecoms and IT sector in the early 2000s. The nation now has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the region, at 69% of the population in 2014 after seeing 40% growth on the previous year. As one of the first GCC nations to embrace competition by allowing...
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