Kuwait - Population





Kuwait: Population

Mnemonic POP.IKWT
Unit Ths. persons, NSA
Adjustments Not Seasonally Adjusted
Annual 2.36 %
Data 2022 4,737
2021 4,628

Series Information

Source Central Bank of Kuwait
Release Population
Frequency Annual
Start Date 12/31/1993
End Date 12/31/2022

Kuwait: Demographics

Reference Last Previous Units Frequency
Population 2022 4,737 4,628 Ths. persons, NSA Annual
Net Migration 2017 100,000 # Annual
Birth Rate 2016 16.42 16.87 # per Ths. pop. Annual
Death Rate 2016 2.74 2.68 # per Ths. pop. Annual

Release Information

Annual population estimates updating the last census are based on government records from several sources. The Vital Registration System is maintained by the Ministry of Health, and constitutes an accurate record of the births and deaths of Kuwaiti citizens since 1948, except for the disruption created by the invasion in 1990. The Ministry of Interior maintains a record of non-Kuwaiti workers and their dependents residing in Kuwait. As the number of workers from individual countries may be changed at short notice and differ from authorized work permits, Ministry of Interior records may from time to time provide an inaccurate count. These records are cross-checked with data from The Public Authority for Civil Information, which is responsible for issuing identification cards for all residents of Kuwait. An additional source is the Labor Market Survey, which is undertaken decennially, at the midpoint between censuses. Estimates for the population by age group, sex, and employment status for 1998 have been disseminated, and the population by nationality (Kuwait, non-Kuwait) for mid-year (2000-2004).

Maintaining current population statistics is the responsibility of the Census and Population Statistics Department, Statistics Census Sector, Ministry of Planning. Data are taken from a decennial census, using a complete enumeration technique counting citizens and residents as of midnight, April 20. The population includes all residents of the country at that time, as well as Kuwaiti citizens living abroad who have maintained ties to Kuwait, through contacts with overseas embassies and other means. The most recent census was undertaken in 1995, but problems stemming from Liberation impaired the scope and the timeliness of this enumeration from the standards of previous censuses, which until this time had been taken every five years. Information disseminated from the 1995 census includes classifications by gender, age, local government area, and nationality (Kuwaiti, non-Kuwaiti), as well as demographic information.

Data may be subject to revisions.

Population statistics are normally prepared decennially and updated annually using estimates based on data from the Vital Registration System and records maintained by the Ministry of Interior and the Public Authority for Civil Information.