🇰🇼 Kuwait: Politics & Democracy
By V-Dem's measure, no — Kuwait scores 12.7 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range.
Current leaders
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Head of State
Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah
Head of Government · independent politician
Democracy trend
Voting alignment
Kuwait's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Kuwait a democracy?
By V-Dem's measure, no — Kuwait scores 12.7 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range. It ranks #130 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Kuwait improving or declining?
Kuwait's V-Dem liberal democracy score has declined by 15.1 points over the past decade, standing at 12.7 in 2025 (1-year change: −5.2).
Who leads Kuwait?
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is Kuwait's head of state; Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah serves as head of government (independent politician).