Official data issued by the government says movement of exports and imports of goods in Kuwait rebounded in 2021 to overcome the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, by exporting and importing goods worth 28.66 billion dinars during 2021, an increase of about 38%, with a value of 7.9 billion dinars, over 2020.
Compared to pre-pandemic levels, merchandise exports and imports have returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 2021 figures declining by only one billion dinars, as they recorded 28.66 billion dinars, compared to 29.7 billion dinars in 2019, reports a local Arabic daily.
In detail, in terms of exports, the figures indicate that they constitute about 66.3% of the movement of exported and imported goods in Kuwait, amounting to 19.04 billion dinars exports in 2021, which is about 6.8 billion dinars more than the volume of Kuwait’s merchandise exports in 2020, while the volume of 2021 exports is close to pre-pandemic Corona levels , which was about 19.54 billion dinars in 2019.
Kuwaiti export figures, according to the classification of comprehensive economic groups, indicate that 2021 witnessed Kuwait exporting production goods worth 180 million dinars, compared to goods of the same type worth 159.5 million dinars exported in 2020 and 183.2 million dinars exported in 2019.
Intermediate goods accounted for 97%, with a value of 18.4 billion dinars, an increase of 57%, with a value of 6.6 billion dinars, compared to 11.72 billion dinars in 2020 and about 18.87 billion dinars in 2019.
Kuwait’s imports of consumer goods rose to 426.78 million dinars by the end of 2021, compared to 327.06 million dinars in 2020, but it remains relatively low compared to pre-Corona levels, specifically in 2019, when it was about 463 million dinars, while Kuwait’s exports of other goods at the end of 2021 was about 20.11 million dinars, compared to 14.37 million at the end of 2020, while it witnessed a remarkable improvement compared to pre-Corona levels, as it rose by more than 4 million dinars, compared to 15.65 million dinars in 2019.
As for the value of Kuwait’s imports of goods, the figures indicate that the value of these imports increased in 2021 by 13%, with a value of 1.11 billion dinars, to reach about 9.6 billion dinars, compared to 8.5 billion dinars in 2020, and compared to pre-pandemic levels, the volume of commodity imports was slightly lower than the 2019 levels which was 10.16 billion dinars.
Consumer goods account for 48% of the total imports to Kuwait in 2021, worth about 4.6 billion dinars, up from 4.06 billion dinars in 2020 and 4.27 billion dinars before Corona, specifically in 2019.
As for Kuwait’s imports of productive goods, they do not only constitute 14% of the total imports, amounting to 1.385 billion dinars during 2021, but this type of goods recorded 1.4 billion dinars in imports in 2020 and 1.84 billion dinars in 2019.
Kuwait’s imports of other goods accounted for 37% of the total imports of 2021 by 3.55 billion dinars, compared with 3 billion dinars in 2020 and 4 billion dinars in 2019, while other goods recorded 51.9 million dinars in 2021, up from 15.5 million only in 2020 and 25 57 million dinars in 2019.
Regarding the most prominent countries from which Kuwait imported goods according to the value in 2021, was follows:
1 – China: It accounted for 18% of the total imports to Kuwait worth 1.7 billion dinars
2 – UAE accounted for 12% of imports worth 1.14 billion dinars
3 – USA 8% worth 768.4 million dinars
4 – Japan about 554 million dinars of merchandise imports into the country
5 – Saudi Arabia 511.7 million dinars
6 – India 504.5 million dinars worth of merchandise imports into Kuwait.
In the same context, Kuwait’s imports of Egyptian goods amounted to 98.25 million dinars during 2021, while its imports of Turkish goods amounted to 227.23 million dinars, while Iranian goods that entered the Kuwaiti market amounted to 123 million dinars, while Australian goods recorded a value of 123 million dinars. 134.9 million dinars.
