The Public Authority for Civil Information placed Kuwait’s total population at 5.31 million as of June 30 2026, marking an increase of 73,570 people or 1.4 percent from the 5.23 million recorded at the end of 2025. Kuwaiti nationals grew by 0.3 percent to reach 1.567 million while the expatriate population rose 1.87 percent to 3.743 million, widening the gap that has long defined the country’s demographics. According to the authority, expatriates now account for roughly 70 percent of all residents, a proportion that has remained stable even as absolute numbers climb steadily amid economic demand for foreign labor.
PACI figures show the workforce expanded by 1.6 percent during the first six months of 2026 to total 3.301 million, with expatriate workers increasing to 2.805 million and Kuwaiti employees rising to 495,546. The data indicated that 3.264 million residents were economically active, representing 61 percent of the overall population and underscoring the central role of labor migration in sustaining commercial activity. Indians constituted 28.8 percent of the expatriate workforce while Egyptians made up 14.6 percent and Kuwaitis accounted for 14.2 percent, patterns that reflect longstanding recruitment trends across private and public sectors.
Nationality breakdowns released by the authority listed Indians as the largest expatriate community at 1.06 million people, equivalent to 20 percent of the total population. Egyptians followed with approximately 670,000 residents, Bangladeshis with 333,100, Filipinos with 226,500 and Syrians with 201,500, illustrating the diverse sources of overseas manpower that have fueled recent growth. Additional communities included Sri Lankans at 197,400, Nepalese at 186,600, Saudis at 155,500 and Pakistanis at 105,700, groups that together shape both the labor market and the cultural fabric of daily life in Kuwait.
The latest PACI release highlighted that Indians represent 30.7 percent of the private-sector workforce whereas Kuwaitis fill 74.7 percent of public-sector positions, a division that has persisted for years. Domestic workers numbered 883,300 and accounted for 27 percent of the total workforce, with women comprising 57.7 percent of that category and Indians making up 39 percent. These statistics from the authority point to the continued dependence on overseas domestic staff, many of whom support Kuwaiti households while forming a significant share of female employment.
According to PACI data, males represent 60 percent of the population at 3.21 million while females total 2.1 million, a gender balance shaped by the composition of the expatriate labor force. Some 81 percent of residents, or 4.28 million people, fall within the working-age bracket of 15 to 64 years, reinforcing the young and economically oriented profile of the country. Central Statistical Bureau estimates from earlier periods show the population stood at approximately 4.91 million in January 2024 before climbing through successive years of expatriate-led expansion that has averaged around 3 percent annually in recent data sets.
The authority’s mid-2026 snapshot arrives as Kuwait continues to manage the policy implications of a population in which non-nationals form the clear majority, a dynamic that influences everything from housing demand to public-service planning. Historical comparisons drawn from Central Statistical Bureau records indicate that the total population has more than doubled since 2005 when it stood at roughly 2.24 million, with the pace of growth accelerating after the COVID-19 recovery as economic sectors resumed large-scale hiring. These long-term trends, drawn from official statistical compilations, place the current 5.31 million figure within a consistent pattern of demographic expansion tied to regional labor mobility.
