The Central Statistical Bureau placed the number of new residency violations at 11,700 for 2025, an increase of 1,000 cases from 10,700 the previous year. Its figures showed the cumulative total of violators edged down to 80,800 from 81,500 in 2024. The bureau recorded 47,200 permit cancellations during the year, a decline from 49,700 in 2024. Valid residency permits rose by 142,000 to reach 3.166 million, continuing an upward trend that has added 327,200 permits since 2.839 million in 2022.
Central Statistical Bureau data identified private-sector work permits under Article 18 as the largest category with 1.66 million, accounting for 52.6 percent of all valid permits. Domestic worker permits under Article 20 followed at 773,300 or 24.4 percent while family reunification permits under Article 22 stood at 566,600 for 17.9 percent. Government employee permits under Article 17 rose to 101,600 from 96,900 a year earlier. The bureau noted these categories reflect sustained demand across key employment segments.
According to the Central Statistical Bureau, non-Arab Asian nationals held the largest share of expatriate residency permits, climbing from 1.81 million in 2022 to around 2.03 million in 2025. The bureau’s statistics showed residents from non-Arab African countries registered the fastest growth, increasing from 31,900 to 68,500 over the same period. These shifts align with broader patterns in Kuwait’s expatriate composition tracked by the authority over recent years.
The Central Statistical Bureau breakdown indicated that private-sector Article 18 permits represented the biggest share of the 47,200 cancellations with 23,400 cases or 49.5 percent. Non-Arab Asian workers accounted for 16,600 of those cancellations while Arab workers contributed 5,000 and non-Arab African workers 910. Family reunification cancellations under Article 22 dropped sharply to 12,200 from 15,900 the prior year. The bureau tied the overall reduction in cancellations to ongoing regulatory adjustments.
CSB figures detailed that new violations in 2025 were led by Article 18 private-sector workers at 4,300 cases or 36.1 percent of the total alongside 4,100 violations among temporary Article 14 holders. The bureau counted 2,400 violations involving domestic workers under Article 20 and 1,000 under Article 22 family permits. By nationality the data showed non-Arab Asians responsible for 7,300 new violations or 61.6 percent while Arab nationals accounted for 3,800 and non-Arab Africans for 695.
Separate Central Statistical Bureau population estimates placed Kuwait’s total at 4,881,254 at the start of 2025 with the non-Kuwaiti segment at 3,315,086 after a 1.56 percent decline from the previous year. The bureau’s bulletins have highlighted a gradual rise in the Kuwaiti share of the population to 32.1 percent amid these enforcement and permit trends. Its data continue to inform planning across labor and residency policy areas.
