Islam is the official

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

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 ...

, and the majority of the citizen population is Muslim. There are also small native

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and Baháʼí populations. Most

expatriates 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 ...

in Kuwait are

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Islam

Kuwait's official state religion is

Maliki The Maliki school or Malikism is one of the four major madhhab, schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas () in the 8th century. In contrast to the Ahl al-Hadith and Ahl al-Ra'y schools of thought, the ...

Sunni Islam. Most Muslim Kuwaiti citizens are Sunni. Shia Muslims are a significant minority in Kuwait; several other Muslim sects do exist in Kuwaiti society but in very small numbers. The Al Sabah ruling family (including the

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

) adhere to the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Over one million non-citizen Muslims resided in Kuwait in 2019.

Population estimates

There is no official national census disclosing sectarian affiliation. The population estimates have varied over time. In 2001, there were an estimated 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens and 300,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens. In 2002, the

US Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

estimated that there were 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens and 855,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total (61% Sunnis, 39% Shias). In 2004, there were an estimated 600,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens, 300,000-350,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens and 913,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total. In 2007, it was estimated that around 70% of citizens belonged to the Sunni branch of Islam while the remaining 30% were Shias. In 2008, the ''

Strategic Studies Institute The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is the U.S. Army's institute for strategic and national security research and analysis. It is part of the U.S. Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a United States Army, U.S. ...

'' estimated that Sunnis constituted 60% of the population. In 2022, it was estimated that around 70% of Muslims living in Kuwait belonged to the Sunni branch of Islam while the remaining 30% were Shias. Other population estimates gave an 80:20 ratio.

Christianity

Christianity is a minority religion in Kuwait. In 2020, there were an estimated 289 Christian Kuwaitis residing in Kuwait. Kuwait is the only GCC country besides

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

to have a local Christian population who hold citizenship. Of the non-citizen population, there are an estimated 837,585 Christians (31 December 2020), or 17.93% of the population. The government-recognized Christian churches include the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, the

Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...

, the National Evangelical Church Kuwait (

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

), the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

, the

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

, the Greek Catholic ( Melkite) Church, the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, and

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

. There are also many Christian religious groups not officially recognised by the government with smaller populations, including the Indian Orthodox, Mar Thoma, and

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

. Unrecognized groups are generally free to worship in private. There are also a number of believers in Christ from a Muslim background in the country, though many are not citizens. A 2015 study estimated that around 350 people in the country follow these beliefs.

Baháʼí

The official 2013 census only shows three religion categories: "Muslim", "Christian" and "Other", with only 18 people in the other category. There are a small number of Kuwaiti citizens who follow the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, with other sources stating that there were approximately 400 Baháʼís in total in Kuwait in 2022.

Judaism

There were several Kuwaiti Jewish families before the 1950s, however all local Jewish families left Kuwait by the 1980s.

Hinduism

There are estimated 300,000 non-citizen Hindus in Kuwait.

Buddhism

Approximately 100,000 non-citizen Buddhists reside in Kuwait.

Sikhism

There are an estimated 10,000 non-citizen Sikhs in Kuwait.

Religion by Nationality (2020)

Conflicts

Sectarian affiliation has been a source of civil conflict in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti Constitution guarantees freedom of belief and the right to practice any religion so long as it does not interfere with customs. Law No. 19 of 2012 criminalizes the instigation of violence based on the supremacy of one sectarian faction, promoting the supremacy of any faction, or promoting hatred or contempt of any party. In April 2022, a Kuwaiti citizen was convicted of atheism and sentenced to two months in prison and a fine of KD10,000 ($33,000) after posting comments on social media. In 2023, Kuwait was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom;Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
/ref> blasphemy is a punishable offence and non-Muslims are forbidden from proselytizing, although they can worship privately.

References

{{Asia topic, Religion in, PS=Palestinian territories#Religion