Kuwait's Oil Exports at 0%, First Time Since 1988

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Kuwait is reported to have completely ceased exporting crude oil in April 2026, following the outbreak of war in West Asia. This information was reported by TankerTrackers.com, Inc., an independent company that monitors global crude oil shipments and storage. Through its official social media account, Tanker Trackers stated that the phenomenon of “0 percent exports” of Kuwait’s crude oil is the first since the end of the Gulf War in 1988. “During April 2026, Kuwait exported 0 barrels of crude oil for the first time since the end of Gulf War I,” wrote the TankerTrackers.com, Inc. account on Saturday (2/5/2026). Kuwait is one of the countries in West Asia. Its land borders Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, while its other side borders the Persian Gulf. It ranks as the tenth largest oil producer in the world. Crude oil and refined oil products are the main commodities contributing 95 percent to total exports. In 2025, Kuwait’s main oil export markets were South Korea at 18 percent of total oil exports, Japan 14 percent, China 10 percent, and the United States 8 percent. Macroeconomic data provider CEIC reported that Kuwait’s oil exports reached a record high throughout 2025 at 1,329 million barrels per day. In 2024, the country exported 1,175.8 million barrels per day; 1,567.5 million barrels per day in 2023; and 1,878.8 million barrels per day in 2022. Located in the Gulf region, Kuwait has not escaped the impact of the war between Israel and the United States (US) against Iran. That war has closed the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, the main trade route for oil from the Gulf region. US military bases in Kuwait have also not escaped Iranian missile targets.