The Kuwaiti dinar (Arabic: دينار كويتي, code: KWD) is the currency of Kuwait. It is sub-divided into 1,000 fils.
As of 2022, the Kuwaiti dinar is the currency with the highest value per base unit, with KD 1 equalling US$3.32, ahead of the Bahraini dinar with BD 1 equalling US$2.65.
KWD Coins
The coins in the following table were introduced in 1961. The design of all coins is similar and has not changed since they were first minted. On the obverse is a boom ship, with year of minting in both Islamic and Common Era in Arabic. The reverse contains the value in Arabic within a central circle with إمَارَة الكُوَيت (Arabic for The State of Kuwait) above and KUWAIT in English below.
Unlike many other Middle Eastern currencies, Kuwait has a coin worth 0.02 of its main currency unit rather than 0.025 or 0.25.
The 1 fils coin was last minted in 1988.
KWD Banknotes
Six series of the Kuwaiti dinar banknote have been printed.
After the creation of the Central Bank of Kuwait in 1969 as a replacement to the Kuwaiti Currency Board, new KD 1⁄4, KD 1⁄2 and KD 10 notes were issued from 17 November 1970, followed by the new KD 1 and KD 5 notes of the second series on 20 April 1971. This second series was withdrawn on 1 February 1982.
The third series was issued on 20 February 1980, after the accession to the throne of late Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in denominations of KD 1⁄4, KD 1⁄2, 1, 5 and KD 10. A KD 20 banknote was introduced later on 9 February 1986. As a result of the state of emergency after the Invasion of Kuwait, this series was ruled invalid with effect from 30 September 1991. Significant quantities of these notes were stolen by Iraqi forces and some had appeared on the international numismatic market. The “Standard Catalog of World Paper Money” (A. Pick, Krause Publications) lists notes with the following serial number prefix denominators as being among those stolen:
After the liberation, a fourth series was issued on 24 March 1991 with the aims of replacing the previous withdrawn series as quickly as possible and guaranteeing the country’s swift economic recovery. This fourth series was legal tender until 16 February 1995. Denominations were KD 1⁄4, KD 1⁄2, KD 1, KD 5, KD 10 and KD 20.
The fifth series of Kuwaiti banknotes was in use from 3 April 1994 and included high-tech security measures which have now become standard for banknotes. It was withdrawn on 1 October 2015. Denominations were as in the fourth series.
Central Bank of Kuwait brought the sixth series of Kuwaiti banknotes into circulation on 29 June 2014. Some of the notes are coarse so that the blind can identify them by touch.