World Factbook

Kuwait

Dawlat al Kuwayt

Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)

Literacy

male

97.1% (2020 est.)

female

95.3% (2020 est.)

total population

96.5% (2020 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.

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.51 male(s)/female

total population

1.36 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

65 years and over

0.74 male(s)/female

Birth rate

17.36 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

2.3 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Median age

male

31.1 years

total

30.4 years (2025 est.)

female

28.9 years

Population

male

1,827,274

total

3,172,511 (2025 est.)

female

1,345,237

Nationality

noun

Kuwaiti(s)

adjective

Kuwaiti

Tobacco use

male

34.9% (2025 est.)

total

22.4% (2025 est.)

female

1.9% (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

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

Age structure

0-14 years

23% (male 376,415/female 346,190)

15-64 years

73.4% (male 1,386,349/female 917,465)

65 years and over

3.6% (2024 est.) (male 47,778/female 64,158)

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.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio

36 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

30.9 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

19.7 (2025 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

5.1 (2025 est.)

Physician density

2.27 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

5.8% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

9.4% of national budget (2022 est.)

Net migration rate

-4.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Hospital bed density

2.4 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.19 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

6.4% of GDP (2024 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

13.8% national budget (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

male

7.4 deaths/1,000 live births

total

7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

female

6.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Population growth rate

1.07% (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.07 (2025 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

Life expectancy at birth

male

78.1 years

female

81.1 years

total population

79.6 years (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2022 est.)