Kuwait: Labour force by nationality group (census 2021)

Kuwaitis 465,186
GCC citizens 28,877
Arabs 596,730
Asians 1,425,823
Sub-Saharan Africans 36,137
Europeans 8,047
North Americans 7,935
South Americans 829
Australians/Oceanians 527
Total non-Kuwaitis 2,104,905
Total 2,570,091

Source: Central Statistics Bureau (CSB)/The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI)

 

ANNEXED NOTE

 

  1. Characteristics of data and definitions

 

The 2021 Kuwait census is the eleventh census conducted in the country, and the first to be based on administrative records.

The Ministry of State for Communications and Information Technology has implemented the records-based population, establishments and building census through cooperation with the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) and the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI).

The census data was selected from the recommended data basket guide for the Unified Population and Housing Register-based Census 2020 for the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf issued by the Gulf Statistics Center for the year 2019, and from the data basket of the general census of the State of Kuwait 2011.

 

Definition of labour force:

Individuals within the labour force are aged 15 and over and are engaged in any economic activity or are seeking employment but do not find it (unemployed) during the census reference period, including:

  1. Employer: An employed individual (aged 15 and over) who works in or owns part of an enterprise and under the supervision of at least one employee with a monetary wage (shareholders in shareholding companies are not considered employers even if they are employed).
  2. Self-Employed: An employed individual (aged 15 years and over) who works in or owns a part of an enterprise and not a monetary-paid employee, including street vendors who do not do business for others.

iii. Paid Worker: Employed person (aged 15 and over) who works for another individual or for his\her enterprise under his\her supervision and receives for his\her employment a lump-sum monetary wage (for the hour, day, week, month or year) this monetary remuneration may be calculated on the basis of production and may be in the form of commission, brokerage or any other way. Workers working in the ministries of the State and its various entities, as well as those working on monetary remuneration in the participating companies, are considered to be in this category.

  1. Unpaid Worker: An employed individual (aged 15 and over) who works for another relative, has no connection or works in an enterprise, is not paid for his\her work and does not have a lump-sum share of profits. Under this definition, individuals who learn a particular trade even if they are paid a lump sum in cash.
  2. Unemployed who has previously been employed: An individual (15-64 years) who has previously been engaged in work in Kuwait for the purpose of earning, but who is not associated with any work during the period of time assignment or searching for a job. His\her working hours in the week of time assignment were not less than 15 hours.
  3. Newly Unemployed:Any individual (15-64 years) who has never been associated with any fruitful work in the State of Kuwait despite having the motivation to work and searching for a job during the period of time attribution but does not find it.

 

Definitions and concepts used in the census:

https://census.csb.gov.kw/CensusData_EN

 

  1. Institution which provides data

 

The Central Statistical Bureau (CSB)

https://www.csb.gov.kw/

https://www.csb.gov.kw/default_en

 

  1. Data availability

 

Kuwait Census 2021 page (Population, Housing and Establishments census):

https://census.csb.gov.kw/index_EN

 

Population census:

https://census.csb.gov.kw/CensusData_EN?id=1

 

Last date of access: 05 September 2023.

 

GLMM and GRC cannot guarantee that the link to access the source will not change; that the information will not be removed from the website it was obtained from; that no geo-blockages will be imposed; or that the information will not be available for any another reason.

 

Keywords: Kuwait, Labour Market, Employment, Foreign Labour, National Labour, Asia, Africa, Europe, Arab Countries, Oceania, North America, South America