emirate · Arabia and the Gulf

State of Kuwait

1961 CE – present · capital Kuwait City

Independent Kuwait since 1961, an oil-rich emirate with an elected parliament that survived Iraqi invasion and occupation in 1990-1991.

Origins

On 19 June 1961 Britain ended the 1899 protection agreement and the Sheikhdom of Kuwait became fully independent under Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah. Iraq's ruler Abd al-Karim Qasim immediately claimed Kuwait, and British and then Arab League troops deployed to deter an invasion.

Rule and society

A constitution of 1962 created the National Assembly, the most powerful elected parliament in the Gulf, though the emir retains wide powers and has suspended it several times. Oil revenues financed a welfare state, free education and health care, and the Kuwait Fund for Arab development aid. Kuwaiti citizens are a minority among a large foreign workforce.

To the present

Iraq invaded on 2 August 1990 and occupied Kuwait until a US-led coalition liberated it in February 1991. Kuwait rebuilt and remains a constitutional emirate under the Al Sabah.

Lineage

Sheikhdom of Kuwait 1752 CE – 1961 CEState of Kuwait

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Kuwait. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-kuwait
MLA
“State of Kuwait.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-kuwait. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Kuwait.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-kuwait.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Kuwait’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-kuwait (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻