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.