Kuwait’s education landscape is poised for notable change as the sector awaits the publication of a new national education development plan designed to align learning outcomes with the evolving needs of the economy. The 2023 education budget, allocated 11.5% of total expenditure, underscores a commitment to quality improvement in line with the objectives of New Kuwait 2035, the country’s long-term socio-economic plan.
The health care sector, meanwhile, is on the cusp of significant transformation, with the Health Assurance Hospitals Company (Dhaman) ready to assume responsibility for the medical needs of the country’s large expatriate population, which should boost the efficiency and quality of public sector facilities. As these initiatives progress, the government has prioritised providing quality education, aligning health care outcomes with New Kuwait 2035 objectives and managing resources for sustainable development. The emphasis on balancing budget constraints and fostering local talent underscores the government’s holistic approach to societal well-being.
Education Oversight & Structure
The Ministry of Education (MoE) is responsible for overseeing and managing the sector, running from the pre-primary level through to primary, intermediate and secondary education. The Supreme Education Council is an independent government body established in 2016 that is charged with helping steer the strategic direction of sector policy. The MoE also collaborates with the National Centre for Educational Development to carry out school inspections and administer international tests. Tertiary education, including both public and private universities, is overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE). Lastly, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), which was established in 1982, offers technical and vocational training courses to develop the local labour force.
The general education system is composed of four levels: kindergarten (ages four and five), primary (grades one to five, for ages six to 10), intermediate (grades six to nine, ages 11 to 14) and secondary (grades 10 to 12, ages 15 to 17). Education is compulsory for the primary and intermediate levels.
Both private and public schools are overseen by the MoE, which regulates licensing, student capacity, school fees and other aspects of primary and secondary education. Public schools are distributed between six educational districts in the country, with each district overseen by a district officer, whose responsibilities include teacher allocation, student assessment and local administration. The MoE’s Private Education Administration provides accreditation for private schools, as well as monitoring staff qualifications and school conditions.
Public & Private Schools
According to data from the Central Statistical Bureau, there were 653 public schools and 585 private schools operating during the 2021/22 academic year. Kuwait also has religious institutes that offer general education for intermediate- and secondary-level students in combination with advanced Islamic and religious education, and the MoE has created 44 institutes catering to students with special needs Public schooling is free for all citizens, although many of them are enrolled in private institutions. Most expatriates, on the other hand, attend private schools. While public schools are fully funded by the government, private schools receive partial funding in addition to textbook distribution and land for school construction. As of 2021, 65% of primary schools, 57% of intermediate schools and 52% of secondary schools were public.
Public schools follow the standard Kuwaiti school system, with Arabic the main medium of instruction and English taught as a second language. While some private schools teach the national curriculum, others follow international curricula from their affiliate countries, especially the US, the UK, Canada and India. Both private and public schools are required to teach Arabic and Islamic studies, although the latter is only obligatory for Muslim students.
When a student completes 12 years of primary, intermediate and secondary education, they receive the Shahadat Al-Thanawiya-Al-Aamais certificate, which allows them to study at a university or a technical or vocational centre. Those pursuing higher education can enrol in degree programmes offered by Kuwait University – the country’s only public university – or choose from various private institutions. They can also pursue higher education internationally, a process that the MoHE facilitates through the provision of study abroad and scholarship opportunities. Those pursuing vocational training, on the other hand, can take courses offered by the PAAET.
Education Budget & Policy
Kuwait’s expenditure on education has varied significantly during the past decades. Between 1971 and 2020 education expenditure as a percentage of GDP fluctuated considerably, reaching a minimum of 2.1% in 1975 and a maximum of 14.2% in 1992. The percentage of GDP spent on education increased from 3.9% in 2013 to 6.4% in 2017 and remained relatively stable over the following years. In 2020 education expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 6.6%, amounting to $6.9bn, compared to a global average of 4.6% in that year. As a percentage of Kuwait’s total expenditure across all sectors, the education sector accounted for 11.9% in 2020, compared to 5.9% in 2008. In 2023 Kuwait budgeted 11.5% of its total expenditure on education, and its education spending as a percentage of GDP in 2023 was expected to be 6.8%.
Despite the sector receiving a significant share of GDP and total public spending, the quality of education in Kuwait could benefit from enhancements, according to a 2023 report by the IMF. Potential reforms to improve the quality of education can focus on filling the gap between what is being taught in schools and the needs of the private sector, in turn supporting the development of local human capital and ensuring sustained productivity growth. At the tertiary level, some universities are working to enhance partnerships with industry to enhance students’ preparedness for the rapidly changing labour market. “Internships with top private sector firms play a crucial role in students’ career development by offering valuable hands-on experience in their chosen fields,” Jacqueline Shaw, founding CEO of American International University, told OBG. “Strengthening collaboration with leading companies provides students with important opportunities that pave the way for their future success.”
In March 2023 the MoE announced it was finalising its development plan to improve the overall quality of education. While the plan had yet to be officially launched as of February 2024, previews of the plan indicate that it defines 11 projects for the development of education, including designing a general policy for education and creating a national framework for curricula standards. These initiatives align with the education goals of New Kuwait 2035.
In addition to the improvement of general education quality, Kuwait put forward reforms in 2023 that target more specific aspects of education. For instance, a decision was made to not renew the residence visas of expatriate teachers to create space for Kuwaiti teachers and reduce the reliance on international instructors. This effort to harness local talent is supported by the decision to further invest in professional training.
Moreover, Kuwait’s prioritisation of local educators aligns with economic sustainability goals, as nurturing local talent is an important step toward ensuring that future educational demand is met. However, academic staff shortages have been reported in some segments, so a careful balance between prioritising Kuwaiti educators and fulfilling staffing requirements can ensure educational output and quality is not impacted in the short term.
As an implementation of a 1996 law that imposes gender segregation at Kuwait University, the government enforced a ban on co-education in universities in September 2023 by cancelling mixed-gender classes and creating separate classes for each gender. For many years prior to the ban, the Constitutional Court had ruled that gender segregation would only be implemented through separate seating arrangements within the same classroom. The enforcement of gender segregation at the tertiary level has faced some opposition from students, academics and members of Parliament.
Student Body
In 2021 the total number of students across pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education levels was 779,330, compared to 757,800 in 2016, according to calculations by Dubai-based investment bank Alpen Capital using UNESCO and Central Statistics Bureau (CSB) data. Of the 2021 total, around 59,000 were pre-primary students, 265,000 were primary students, 333,000 were secondary students and 122,000 were tertiary students. In the same year, approximately 418,000 of the total number of students were enrolled in public schools, compared to 382,000 in 2016. Across private schools, 239,000 students were enrolled in 2021 compared to 259,000 in 2016. This decrease may be attributed to expatriates returning to their home countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the 2021/22 academic year, 359,936 Kuwaiti students attended public schools, compared to 65,565 non-Kuwaiti students. In contrast, 74,893 Kuwaiti students attended private schools that year, compared to 180,247 non-Kuwaiti students. In regard to tertiary education, 38,394 students were enrolled in Kuwait University in the second semester of the 2021/22 academic year, of whom 33,553 were Kuwaiti, 4841 were non-Kuwaiti, 10,400 were male and 27,994 were female. As for private higher education, the most recent data is for the second semester of the 2019/20 academic year, during which there were 15,280 students enrolled in bachelor’s programmes. Of those, 14,727 were Kuwaiti and 553 were non-Kuwaiti, whereas 5422 were male and 9858 were female. Prominent private universities in the country include American University of Kuwait, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Australian University of Kuwait and American International University.
Academic Staff
During the 2021/22 academic year, there were 73,335 teachers in public schools. Of those, 50,084 were Kuwaiti, 23,251 were non-Kuwaiti, 18,607 were male and 54,728 were female. As for private schools, the most recent statistics are for the 2020/21 academic year, during which there were 13,351 private school teachers, consisting of 271 Kuwaiti and 13,080 non-Kuwaiti teachers, and 4048 male and 9303 female teachers.
A shortage of staff occurred in Kuwait in early 2023, with 700 unfilled positions across 12 disciplines for the 2023/24 academic year. To address the shortage of staff and meet the increasing demand for teachers, the MoE reported in May 2023 that it would hire 600 new teachers from Palestine and Jordan – both male and female – for the 2023/24 academic year. Additionally, Adel Al Mane, then-minister of education, met with the directors of the educational regions in Kuwait in October 2023 to discuss the teacher shortage. Al Mane directed officials to transfer teachers to schools with staff shortages.
With respect to public higher education, during the second semester of the 2021/22 academic year, Kuwait University employed 1690 staff members in total, 1495 of whom were Kuwaiti, 195 were non-Kuwaiti, 1106 were male and 584 were female. As for the private higher education sector, the most recent data is for the second semester of the 2019/20 academic year, during which there were 857 staff members. Of those, 72 were Kuwaiti, 785 were non-Kuwaiti, 534 were male and 323 were female.
E-Learning
As a result of the pandemic, students around the world underwent a shift from in-person learning to distance learning in order to ensure the continuation of the learning process. The MoE had acknowledged the importance of online learning in Kuwait prior to the pandemic, though only a limited amount of projects that promote digital learning had been implemented prior to 2020. One notable pre-pandemic project was a digital platform launched in 2015 that allowed teachers to communicate with students and parents online, although the platform was never activated.
Schools and universities in Kuwait were the first spaces to close after the outbreak. The MoE suspended all schools two days after the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed, and in-person learning did not resume for several months. In order to support continued learning, efforts were made to enhance teachers’ confidence in delivering lessons remotely. Despite challenges, a 2023 survey reported that many students in Kuwait preferred online learning and felt adequately prepared for it. Some 95% of 500 study participants reported having the computer knowledge needed to navigate online learning, 45% reported having received the necessary materials for online classes and 40% of participants reported that learning should be done entirely online.
Health Care Oversight & Structure
The Ministry of Health (MoH) oversees Kuwait’s public health system. Its duties include defining the sector’s priorities and objectives, managing health care financing, and regulating social insurance and medical care. The Ministry of Finance and the Supreme Council for Planning and Development also contribute to the management of the health care sector through the distribution of funds to the MoH.
There are six health regions in Kuwait – Kuwait City, Hawally, Ahmadi, Jahra, Farwaniya and Al Sabah – with a decentralised organisational unit responsible for workforce training and the regulation of health delivery. In 2021 there were 21 public sector hospitals, seven of which were classed as general and 14 of which were specialised facilities. General hospitals contained 5205 beds, and there were a further 3306 beds in specialised hospitals that year, bringing the total number of beds in MoH facilities to 8511. Meanwhile, there were 1295 beds in private hospitals in 2021, as well as 432 beds in hospitals owned by oil companies. The number of hospital beds per 1000 inhabitants in Kuwait was estimated to be 2.03 in 2021, up from 1.90 in 2017.
Primary public health care is composed of a network of more than 100 polyclinics that provide health services such as general practitioner consultations, maternity care, diabetic treatment, childcare, maternity care and immunisation. Secondary public health care is administered through seven government hospitals: Al Adnan Hospital, Amiri Hospital, Farwaniya Hospital, Jahra Hospital, Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, Sabah Hospital and Jaber Hospital, the latter of which opened in 2019 as the country’s largest secondary care unit, with 1117 beds.
Additionally, the public health care system includes specialised health facilities that provide specific medical services for patients. These include facilities focused on cancer diagnosis and treatment, palliative care, allergies, pulmonary ailments and mental illness. More than 80% of health care spending in Kuwait is targeted at the public health care sector. Between 2016 and 2023 a total of 13 public health care projects worth $4.6bn were completed. As of late 2023 nine public health care projects worth $5.3bn were in the execution phase, with another four projects in the design phase.
Private Health Care
The country’s private health care network, which caters to both locals and the sizeable expatriate community, is undergoing significant growth as the government aims to incentivise quality care. The MoH is tasked with overseeing the prices that private providers charge patients and ensuring that the standards set by the government are met. Most private facilities do not accept local health insurance, so patients are often required to pay out of pocket for medical services.
The private health care sector is expected to grow by 15-20% in the coming years as Dhaman assumes responsibility for the care of expatriates and their families. Dhaman was formed in 2014 as a public-private partnership. To date, it has built five primary health care centres around the country, and two hospitals in the Ahmadi and Jahra governorates with a combined total of 600 beds. It aims to increase the number of primary health centres to 15 within five years to meet expatriate demand. Although much of the infrastructure is now in place, responsibility for the care of expatriates had yet to be transferred to Dhaman as of December 2023. Delays have been attributed to the lengthy process of licensing medical professionals working at Dhaman facilities.
Kuwaiti citizens enjoy free health care at public health care facilities, and expatriates can benefit from medical care through health insurance provided they make the annual payment of between KD50 ($163) and KD130 ($423) required for visa renewal. Public health insurance is compulsory for all expatriates, but there is demand for private insurers. Public insurance does not cover certain specialised medical tests such as X-rays and MRI scans.
For a medical consultation, expatriates could pay an average of between KD2 ($6.50) and KD30 ($97.60), depending on the facility. To benefit from local insurance, it is necessary to have a medical card, which can be issued using the individual’s identity card and visa or work permit. Neither Kuwaiti citizens nor expatriates are required to pay for medications obtained from public hospitals and clinics if they have a prescription from a doctor and their civil ID card number is included in the prescription.
Health Care Budget & Policy
In the 2022/23 fiscal year budget, Kuwait’s government allocated KD2.7bn ($8.8bn) to health care, representing 11.5% of the total budget. Of this amount, by far the largest share – KD2.4bn ($7.8bn) – was allocated to hospital services. In value terms this was an increase on KD2.4bn ($7.8bn) allocated to health care in the 2020/21 FY budget during the height of the pandemic, and marginally higher as a proportion of the total budget, up from 11.1% that year.
According to data platform Statista, health care expenditure in Kuwait is projected to reach $10.1bn in 2027. In 2022 over $5bn was allocated for the development of general hospitals and $538m was allocated for the development of specialty hospitals. In line with the growing value of the health care market, revenue in the pharmaceuticals market was forecast to hit $881m in 2024, with the largest market being oncology drugs, estimated at $173m.
Rising health care expenses are one of the reasons behind the ongoing move to transition the responsibility for expatriate health care to Dhaman facilities. “In Kuwait’s ever-evolving health care landscape, the cultivation of public health care has become a core priority,” Alexander Jankuloski, CEO of Kuwait Hospital, told OBG. “The sector remains somewhat fragmented, which carries the risk of inefficiencies and poor resource utilisation.”
In regard to public health regulations for travelling to Kuwait, there are no compulsory vaccines, but hepatitis A, hepatitis B and other standard vaccines are recommended. Vaccination against Covid-19 has not been compulsory since February 2023.
New Kuwait 2035 calls for the sustainable improvement of the health care service in line with socio-economic objectives. Health care priorities under the national vision include reducing the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), increasing hospital capacity and ensuring access to quality health care for the local population. New public hospitals have been built in recent years including Jaber Hospital, at a cost of slightly over $1bn, and Sabah Hospital, at a cost of $595m. Meanwhile, expansion projects at Al Adan Hospital, Farwaniya Hospital and Jahra Hospital have added a combined total of 1256 beds to MoH facilities, for a cumulative investment of nearly $3bn.
Medical Staff
According to the latest MoH data made publicly available on the CSB website, 14,007 doctors were working across the health system in 2021, of which 10,326 were working in MoH facilities, 3379 in private facilities and 302 in hospitals operated by oil companies. Some 42% of doctors in MoH facilities were Kuwaiti citizens that year, compared to only 13% in private facilities and 30% in hospitals operated by oil companies.
In terms of nurses, there were a total of 33,118 working across the system in 2021, of which 22,586 were working in MoH facilities, 9894 in private sector facilities and 638 in hospitals operated by oil companies. The vast majority of nurses working in Kuwait in 2021 were foreigners, representing 96% of the total, with the proportion of foreign nurses as high as 99% in private hospitals.
Across MoH facilities, the gender ratio of doctors in 2021 was 61% male, 39% female, whereas for nurses it skewed 72% female, 28% male. More recently, the MoH disclosed in July 2023 that it employed 66,202 male and female employees including administrators, doctors, technicians, pharmacists, nurses and other workers. Specifically, MoH facilities employed 12,020 administrators, 10,326 doctors, 2549 dentists, 2160 pharmacists, 22,586 nurses and 12,415 medical technicians in 2023.
In January 2023 Ahmad Al Awadi, then-minister of health, told Parliament that 38,549 foreigners were working in MoH jobs, of which most were employed in medical, technical and support specialities. Al Awadi noted that international expertise was required to enable Kuwait to expand medical services. Since 2018 there has been a push to create more jobs for Kuwaiti nationals in the health care sector, in line with the national Kuwaitisation policy. The implementation of this policy is based on timetables set by the Civil Service Commission outlining the number of expatriates to be replaced by Kuwaiti nationals. Across all government agencies, the number of new foreigners employed fell by 70% in 2022 compared to the previous four years.
Disease Burden
As of early 2024 the average life expectancy in Kuwait was 80.6 years, up from 78.5 years in 2011. By 2100, Kuwait’s life expectancy is projected to be 91.4 years – a 13.3% increase from today – as a result of technological advancements and improved health care capabilities.
As the population ages and economic advances are made, the prevalence of NCDs is expected to increase, in line with trends in developed markets. The most recent World Health Organisation (WHO) data available shows that the leading cause of death in Kuwait in 2019 was NCDs, accounting for 5389 deaths, followed by injuries (867) and communicable diseases, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions (826). For males, the leading cause of death in 2019 was ischaemic heart disease, followed by road injuries, strokes and lower respiratory infections. For females, the leading cause of death was breast cancer, followed by ischaemic heart disease, strokes and lower respiratory infections.
The WHO estimates the nearly one in five adults in Kuwait are dying from NCDs before the age of 70, with the prevalence of such diseases costing the Kuwaiti economy around KD1.6bn ($5.2bn) annually due to health and social care costs and lost productivity, equivalent to 3.9% of GDP. To reduce the economic and social burden of NCDs in Kuwait, the WHO recommends policy interventions that reduce exposure to behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.
New Advances
As the country seeks to improve its health care outcomes, medical technology ( medtech) has the potential to make significant contributions to the sector, including in facilitating screening and helping establish a unified system of medical records. The Central Agency for IT was established by the government in 2006 to help enhance the sector’s ability to source IT solutions locally and implement e-government initiatives.
The pandemic led to an acceleration in the deployment of medtech solutions in the country. Health care facilities have been utilising ICT tools, particularly electronic health records (EHRs), to improve health outcomes. EHRs enable doctors to track patient information, making consultations more efficient. Many private hospitals, including Al Salam Hospital and Dar al Shifa Hospital, have implemented EHR systems, but their use remains fragmented. A 2022 research paper published at Kuwait University revealed that 43% of hospitals were still using paper records, although the transition to a unified EHR system for all of the sector remains a target for the government. Revenue in the digital health market was estimated to reach $74.4m in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.6% through to 2028 to a projected $96.1m.
Outlook
Moving forwards, Kuwait is expected concentrate its efforts on improving the quality of education and ensuring learning outcomes are aligned with the needs of the future labour market. To this end, education stakeholders are awaiting the release and rollout of the national education development plan, which should provide clear guidance for the evolution of the sector. In regard to health care, the private sector is poised to play a more significant role in the delivery of health services as responsibility for expatriate care gradually transitions to Dhaman. At the same time, the expansion of public hospitals and the development of medtech tools promise to boost the sector’s overall capacity.
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