There are a large number of expatriates in
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, with most residing in the capital of Kuwait City.
Expatriate
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country.
The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...
s are primarily attracted by the
employment
Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...
opportunities in Kuwait. Foreign nationals account for nearly 70% of Kuwait's total population.
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) populations (Arabs)
Baharnas
About 6,856 Baharnas are living in Kuwait.
[https://gulfmigration.grc.net/kuwait-non-kuwaiti-gcc-population-by-country-of-citizenship-census-2021/]
Egyptians
Egyptians are the second largest expat community in Kuwait, numbering more than 666,000 workers (December 2020).
Emaratis
About 1,730 Emaratis are living in Kuwait.
Iraqis
About 16,800 - 18,000 Iraqis are living in Kuwait.
[Kuwait's population - by nationality]
archived fro
the original
/ref>
Jordanians
About 33,000 Jordanians are living in Kuwait.
Lebanese
106,000 Lebanese Nationals live in Kuwait, mainly Kuwait City
Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...
.
Omanis
About 3,634 Omanis are living in Kuwait.
Palestinians
There are around 70,000 Palestinian expats in Kuwait. However, a firm stated that as of 2015, about 10,000 Palestine nationals live in kuwait.
Qataris
About 1,731 Qataris are living in Kuwait.
Saudis
540,773 Saudi Arabian nationals live in Kuwait.,Gulf Cooperation Council
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...
, which means that the citizens of each GCC member can live and work in any of the six countries without a visa.
Sudanese
About 7,000 Sudanese are living in Kuwait.
Syrians
There are around 161,000 Syrian expats in Kuwait. Syrians were among the first educated work force in Kuwait, the first Syrian expats immigrated to Kuwait in the 1960s.
Yemenis
About 11,000 Yemenis are living in Kuwait.
West Asian populations (Non-Arabs)
Armenians
Before the Gulf War, the Armenian population reached its peak of 12,000.
Iranians
In 2012, there were 45,000 Iranian expats according to the population census.Kuwait City
Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...
. Most Iranians are employed in the private sector
The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government.
Employment
The private sector employs most of the workfo ...
.public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...
, 24,684 in the private sector and 16,577 were on dependent visas.
Turks
There are 4,000 Turkish expats in Kuwait. Most Turks work as barbers, engineers, businessmen and doctors.
Sub-Saharan African populatons
Ethiopians
About 74,000 Ethiopians are living in Kuwait.
Eritreans
About 1,500 Eritreans are living in Kuwait.
Kenyans
About 400 Kenyans are living in Kuwait.
Lesothoans
About 7 Lesothoans are living in Kuwait.
Nigerians
About 500 Nigerians are living in Kuwait.
Seneglese
About 170 Senegalese are living in Kuwait.
South Africans
About 1,000 South Africans are living in Kuwait.
Central Asian populations
Afghanis
About 15,000 Afghanis are living in Kuwait.
Kyrgyz
About 14 Kyrgyz are living in Kuwait.
East Asian populations
Chinese
About 5,000 Chinese are living in Kuwait.
South and North Koreans
Koreans in Kuwait first arrived in 1975 as employees of South Korean construction companies, although the two countries did not establish formal relations until June 1979.Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
ern destination for Korean workers behind Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
; by that time, 13,813 Korean workers had already come to Kuwait. However, Kuwait would soon lose the second-place position, being surpassed by Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
in 1981 and Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
in 1982.Filipinos
Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...
, and Pakistanis
Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
, they were described as being at the bottom of the social structure, "ridiculed and stripped of their rights". Nor did they spend much of their money locally; as meals and housing were provided for them in their work camps, it was estimated that they remitted 80% of their earnings back to South Korea. In spite of these difficulties, between 1975 and 1985, 63,898 South Korean workers came to Kuwait, and as late as 1990, roughly 10,000 were estimated to remain.[; also states there may be as many as 4,000 North Korean workers in the country, which if correct, would give Kuwait the second-largest Korean population in the region]
There was formerly a small contingent of South Korean soldiers in Kuwait, who numbered 170.United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
's Camp Casey in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea.
Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a list of provinc ...
have been deployed to bases in Kuwait, including Camp Arifjan
Camp Arifjan is a United States Army installation in Kuwait which accommodates elements of the United States Air Force, US Air Force, United States Navy, US Navy, United States Marine Corps, US Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, US Coast ...
, in support of the US Army. In 2005, a group calling itself Kuwait Mujahideen claimed to have killed a Korean national as part of an attack on a US Army base in Umm Al-Hayman near Al Ahmadi.
North Korean companies have established a greater presence in Kuwait recent years, and the government of South Korea
The government of South Korea () is the national government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and ...
estimated that there are roughly three or four thousand North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
n construction workers in the country .
Mongols
About 20 Mongols are living in Kuwait.
Taiwanese
About 30 - 50 Taiwanese are living in Kuwait.
South Asian populations
Bangladeshis
About 181,265 Bangladeshis are living in Kuwait.
Indians
The Indian community in Kuwait includes Indian expats (mostly hailing from the southern states of Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
), as well as Kuwaiti citizens of Indian origin. According to the Indian ministry of external affairs, there are around 1,020,000 Indians as on 31 December 2020,Central Board of Secondary Education
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national-level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board ...
(CBSE). There were 164 Indian community Associations earlier registered with the Indian Embassy of Kuwait. Following introduction of a re-registration requirement, 106 of these Indian community Associations have once again registered with the Embassy and the number of registered Associations is growing at a steady pace.
Nepalis
About 101,193 Nepalis are living in Kuwait.
Pakistanis
The population of Pakistanis in Kuwait is around 100,000 (December 2020). The former Pakistani ''chargé d'affaires
A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...
'' in Kuwait has given a higher estimate of 150,000 in 2009. There are many Pakistani schools in Kuwait.
Sri Lankans
There are 99,858 Sri Lankans living and working in Kuwait in 2016.
Southeast Asian and Oceanian populations
Australians
The Australian community residing in Kuwait has 800 people working in various sectors, especially in the oil and gas sector. It is a qualified community that includes many professionals from various fields.
Burmese
About 200 Burmese are living in Kuwait.
Cambodians
About 47 Cambodians are living in Kuwait.
Filipinos
There are roughly 241,000 (as of December 2020) Filipinos in Kuwait. Most are migrant workers,domestic worker
A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...
s.
In 2011, Kuwait was the sixth-largest destination of Overseas Filipino Workers, with 65,000 hired or rehired in the nation in 2011, and accordingly Kuwait has been an important source of remittance
A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland.
Money sent home by migrants competes ...
s back to the Philippines, with over $105 million USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
being remitted in 2009.
Indonesians
28,954 Indonesians reside in Kuwait as of 2020.
Malaysians
About 300 Malaysians are living in Kuwait.
Vietnamese
About 400 Vietnamese are living in Kuwait.
North and South American populations
Americans
About 30,000 United States nationals live in Kuwait.
Argentinans
About 100 Argentinans are living in Kuwait.
Brazilians
About 300 Brazilians are living in Kuwait.
Canadians
An estimated 7,000 Canadians reside in Kuwait and work in important sectors such engineering, finance, government, academia, health, and the oil industry.
In 2006, Canadian servicemen who fought in the first Gulf War
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were given the Liberation of Kuwait Medal by Kuwait. Thirty Canadian soldiers who served in the first Gulf War were honored by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Canada in February 2020.
In 2019, there were approximately 450 Kuwaiti students pursuing their studies in Canada, mostly in medicine. In 2015, Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college has three campuses, all in Ontario: a primary campus in Ottawa, and secondary campuses in Perth and ...
became the first Canadian college in Kuwait.
Guyanans
About 2 Guyanans are living in Kuwait.
Mexicans
About 120 - 150 Mexicans are living in Kuwait.
Nicaraguans
About 40 Nicaraguans are living in Kuwait.
Peruvians
About 10 Peruvians are living in Kuwait.
Venezuelans
About 400 Venezuelans are living in Kuwait.
European populations
Britons
About 4,000 Britons live in Kuwait.Kuwait travel advice - GOV.UK
archived fro
the original
/ref>(Kuwait was a British Protectorate
British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...
from 1899 to 1961.)
Chezh
About 50 Chezh are living in Kuwait.
Danes
About 200 Danes are living in Kuwait.
Germans
About 500 - 600 Germans are living in Kuwait.
Greeks
About 250 Greeks are living in Kuwait.
Hungarians
About 300 Hungarians are living in Kuwait.
Poles
About 300 Poles are living in Kuwait.
Romanians
About 800 Romanians are living in Kuwait.
Slovaks
About 100 - 150 Slovaks are living in Kuwait.
Slovens
About <50 Slovens are living in Kuwait.
Spainards
About 96,000 Spainards are living in Kuwait.
Swiss
About 105 Swiss are living in Kuwait.
Ukrainians
About 300 Ukrainians are living in Kuwait.
See also
* Demographics of Kuwait
This is a demography of the population of Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the he ...
References
Works cited
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Kuwait civil id
Civil ID Status
How to Check Travel Ban in Kuwait
{{Immigration to Kuwait
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...