Kuwait People - 2024

Population

3,103,580 (2023 est.)

note: Kuwait's Public Authority for Civil Information estimates the country's total population to be 4,420,110 for 2019, with non-Kuwaitis accounting for nearly 70% of the population

Nationality

noun: Kuwaiti(s)

adjective: Kuwaiti

Ethnic groups

Kuwaiti 30.4%, other Arab 27.4%, Asian 40.3%, African 1%, other 0.9% (includes European, North American, South American, and Australian) (2018 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Arabic audio sample:

Religions

Muslim (official) 74.6%, Christian 18.2%, other and unspecified 7.2% (2013 est.)

note: data represent the total population; about 72% of the population consists of immigrants

Age structure

0-14 years: 23.32% (male 377,040/female 346,791)

15-64 years: 73.28% (male 1,371,010/female 903,309)

65 years and over: 3.4% (2023 est.) (male 45,351/female 60,079)

2023 population pyramid:

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 34.4

youth dependency ratio: 28.4

elderly dependency ratio: 6

potential support ratio: 24.9 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 31 years

female: 28.6 years

Population growth rate

1.13% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

17.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

2.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-4.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

densest settlement is along the Persian Gulf, particularly in Kuwait City and on Bubiyan Island; significant population threads extend south and west along highways that radiate from the capital, particularly in the southern half of the country

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.35% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

3.298 million KUWAIT (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.52 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 1.37 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 79.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 77.9 years

female: 80.9 years

Total fertility rate

2.22 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.09 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

N/A

Drinking water source

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

6.3% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

2.34 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density

2 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

37.9% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 17.9% (2020 est.)

male: 33.5% (2020 est.)

female: 2.2% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.5% (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

59.6% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

6.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.5%

male: 97.1%

female: 95.4% (2020)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years

male: 13 years

female: 16 years (2015)