Central Bank: $5.4 Billion in Foreign Direct Investment in the Economy
Its accumulated balance over the past years reflects the country’s attractiveness
126 million dinars: Volume of foreign direct investment inflows to Kuwait last year
915 million dinars: Outflows resulting from the expansion of Kuwaiti banks’ investments abroad
38.5 billion dollars: Volume of inflows if including equities, derivatives, bonds, and deposits
The Central Bank of Kuwait confirmed that the data included in the 2026 World Investment Report issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) regarding foreign direct investment in Kuwait for 2025 represents preliminary estimates and does not reflect the final official data of the State of Kuwait.
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The Central Bank clarified in a press statement yesterday that, as part of its continuous monitoring of what is circulated in media outlets and various platforms regarding the Kuwaiti economy, particularly the discussions surrounding the 2026 World Investment Report issued on July 7, 2026, by UNCTAD, and its data on foreign direct investment flows and balances in Kuwait, the actual data based on balance of payments statistics issued by the Central Bank provides a more accurate picture of the reality of foreign direct investment flows during 2025.
The Central Bank noted that the actual data published on its website shows that the value of Kuwait’s direct investments abroad (outflows) reached approximately 915 million dinars in 2025, equivalent to about 3 billion dollars. These outflows reflect the expansion of private sector institutions, particularly banks, in their external investments as part of asset management strategies, external presence, and investment diversification, within the framework of their external investment activities.
Regarding inflows of foreign direct investment into Kuwait, the Bank indicated that they amounted to approximately 126.4 million dinars in 2025, equivalent to about 412.4 million dollars.
Regarding balances, the data indicates a continued rise in Kuwait’s foreign direct investment balance over the past years, reaching approximately 5.4 billion dinars by the end of 2025, equivalent to about 17.6 billion US dollars. This reflects the accumulation of existing foreign direct investments in the Kuwaiti economy and its continued attractiveness as an investment destination.
Foreign direct investment flows include investments that grant the foreign investor a significant stake (10% or more) in an enterprise within or outside the country. They do not include securities (equities and bonds below 10%), financial derivatives, deposits, loans, and other financial instruments. If the scope is expanded to include all aforementioned financial instruments, inflows would rise to approximately 11.8 billion dinars, equivalent to about 38.5 billion dollars.
The Central Bank concluded its statement by noting that interested parties can follow developments in foreign direct investment in Kuwait through the latest balance of payments statistics and international investment position data available on the Central Bank of Kuwait’s website.
