Population by nationality (Kuwaiti/ non-Kuwaiti), sex and administrative region (governorate) of residence (2012)

Nationality   Kuwaitis     Non-Kuwaitis     TOTAL  
Governorate males females Total males females Total males females Total
Capital 111.679 117.928 229.607 171.637 116.542 288.179 283.316 234.470 517.786
Hawalli 102.623 105.489 208.112 357.101 269.897 626.998 459.724 375.386 835.110
Ahmadi 126.535 128.752 255.287 354.748 137.330 492.078 481.283 266.082 747.365
Jahra 77.630 81.474 159.104 190.959 128.126 319.085 268.589 209.600 478.189
Farwaniya 107.812 112.914 220.726 577.214 212.429 789.643 685.026 325.343 1.010.369
Mubarak Al Kabeer 68.951 70.381 139.332 50.994 39.478 90.472 119.945 109.859 229.804
Not stated 135 133 268 2.815 2.022 4.837 2.950 2.155 5.105
TOTAL 595.365 617.071 1.212.436 1.705.468 905.824 2.611.292 2.300.833 1.522.895 3.823.728

Source: PACI

 

ANNEXED NOTE

 

1. Characteristics of data and definitions

 

The source of data used here is the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), an independant government body in charge of :

1- centralising all population and labour force data in order to manage a fully computerised population register

2- issuing mandatory civil identification cards to every resident of the country, regardless of age and nationality.

 

The other source of demographic and socioeconomic data on Kuwait is the Central Statistical Office (CSO), operating within the Planning Ministry. The CSO has conducted ten population and housing censuses since its inception in 1957.

Since 1995 a marked discrepancy was witnessed between PACI’ and CSO’ population figures. PACI’ database is connected electronically with other administrations and bodies registering demographic events and professional/ residency issues (births and death; departures and arrivals; end of service, residency and ID deliveries, etc.).

PACI’s records of residents’ movements is thus regularly updated, which limits the risk of population overcount. Therefore, it is more likely that residents were undercounted during CSO- Ministry of Planning’s census operations (see: Shah, N. Population of Kuwait. Structure and Dynamics, Kuwait: Kuwait University Academic Publication Council, 2010, chapter 1).

 

(a) Kuwaiti: the Kuwaiti nationality rests upon a document of Kuwaiti nationality or a certificate proving Kuwaiti nationality issued by the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait.

 

(b) Non-Kuwaiti: his/ her nationality is determined by the name of the State which issued the passport. The foreign national also entered Kuwait legally and has a stamp of residence.

This category includes the Bidoon, a category of stateless persons living in the Emirate. Kuwait’s Bidoon population originates from three broad categories:

1) those whose ancestors failed to apply for nationality or lacked necessary documentation at the time of Kuwait’s independence in 1961;

2) those recruited to work in Kuwait’s army or police force during the 1960s who permanently settled in Kuwait, along with their families;

3) children of Kuwaiti mothers and stateless or foreign fathers (see Human Rights Watch. Prisoners of the Past. Kuwaiti Bidun and the Burden of Statelessness, June 2011, p. 3).

 

 

2. Institution which provides data

 

The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI)

 

3. Period of data coverage: December 2012

 

The database is updated three times a year and the website presents only the most recent data.

 

4. Data availability

 

The statistics section of PACI’s website (http://www.paci.gov.kw/en/ (English); http://www.paci.gov.kw/ (Arabic)) provides population and socio-economic data broken down by nationality (Kuwaiti/ non-Kuwaiti). Some data are displayed by nationality groups.

Analytical tables and data crosstabulations are available for download in PDF, html, .png and Excel (.csv) formats.

 

Date of access: June 2013.