More than 900,000 Kuwaitis and residents aged 15 and above are classified as being outside Kuwait’s labour force, with students, retirees and women engaged in household duties accounting for a large share of the group, according to official data.
Figures from the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) show that 901,819 people are outside the labour force, representing nearly 17 per cent of Kuwait’s total population of approximately 5.31 million. The category covers people aged 15 and above who are neither employed nor actively seeking work.
Kuwaiti citizens account for 523,146 of those outside the labour force, or around 58 per cent of the total. This includes 255,972 Kuwaiti men and 267,174 Kuwaiti women.
Expatriates account for a further 378,673 people outside the labour force, including 106,107 men and 272,566 women.
Students aged 15 and above make up the largest category among those outside the labour force, numbering 532,553.
Kuwaiti students account for 310,450 of the total, including 153,701 males and 156,749 females. The number of expatriate students stands at 222,103, comprising 105,199 males and 116,904 females.
Retirees receiving income form the second-largest category, with 192,556 people. Kuwaitis make up the vast majority at 185,918, compared with 6,638 expatriates.
The data also records 176,710 women engaged in household duties as being outside the labour force. Expatriate women account for the majority of this group, at 149,932, while 26,778 are Kuwaiti women.
Kuwait’s population aged 15 and above stands at approximately 4.44 million, comprising around 1.08 million Kuwaitis and 3.36 million expatriates. People below the age of 15 number approximately 870,609.
The country’s total labour force is estimated at around 3.3 million people. Expatriates make up the overwhelming majority, at around 2.8 million, while Kuwaitis account for approximately 495,697.
The number of employed people stands at approximately 3.264 million, including 463,900 Kuwaitis and around 2.8 million expatriates.
Meanwhile, total unemployment is recorded at 36,898, of whom 31,794 are Kuwaitis and 5,104 are expatriates.
The figures highlight the distinct structure of Kuwait’s labour market, where expatriates account for most economically active workers, while a substantial number of citizens are outside the labour force because of education, retirement or household responsibilities.