Democracy and Governance Profile of Kuwait

Kuwait is classified as a Closed Autocracy in the V-Dem Democracy Report for 2024, meaning that executive recruitment is not electoral and political participation is severely restricted. This classification is based on V-Dem’s assessment of the country’s electoral processes, civil liberties, rule of law, and other democratic attributes.

Democracy Index

The Electoral Democracy Index (0.198) is classified as Very Low, indicating very low performance on electoral democracy components including freedom of association, clean elections, freedom of expression, and suffrage. The Liberal Democracy Index (0.179) is classified as Very Low, representing very low performance when accounting for liberal democratic principles such as individual rights, rule of law, and constraints on the executive.

Rule of Law

The Rule of Law Index (0.709) is classified as Moderate, reflecting moderate adherence to rule of law principles. The Rule of Law Respect component (0.612) is classified as Moderate, indicating moderate respect for the rule of law in practice. Property Rights (0.609) are classified as Moderate, representing moderate protection of property rights. Equal Access and Non-Discrimination (0.394) is classified as Low, indicating low levels of equal treatment under the law.

Judicial Independence

The Judicial Constraints on the Executive index (0.738) is classified as Moderate, reflecting moderate constraints on executive power by the judiciary. High Court Independence (-0.289) is classified as Low, while Lower Court Independence (+2.044) is classified as Very High. These indicators measure the de facto independence of courts from government interference.

Civil Liberties

The Civil Liberties Index (0.508) is classified as Moderate, indicating moderate protection of civil liberties. The Physical Violence Index (0.713) is classified as Moderate, reflecting moderate freedom from state-sponsored physical violence against citizens.

Accountability and Corruption

The Horizontal Accountability index (+0.932) is classified as Moderate, measuring the extent to which state agencies constrain each other. The Overall Accountability index (+0.329) is classified as Moderate, capturing vertical, horizontal, and diagonal accountability mechanisms. The Executive Corruption index (0.410) is classified as Moderate, measuring the pervasiveness of corruption within the executive branch.

Historical Context

V-Dem data for Kuwait is available from 1789 onwards. In 2024, the Electoral Democracy Index was 0.198, the Liberal Democracy Index was 0.179, and the Rule of Law Index was 0.709. In 2014, the Electoral Democracy Index was 0.315, the Liberal Democracy Index was 0.279, and the Rule of Law Index was 0.606. In 2004, the Electoral Democracy Index was 0.282, the Liberal Democracy Index was 0.265, and the Rule of Law Index was 0.614.

The Electoral Democracy score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior. The Liberal Democracy score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior. The Rule of Law score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior. The Judicial Constraints score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior.

Data source: Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) v16. For more information, see the V-Dem Dataset and the V-Dem Project. These indicator values are point estimates from V-Dem’s measurement model. Each indicator has an associated uncertainty interval. See the V-Dem Codebook for detailed methodology.