Kuwait Population
Kuwait had an estimated population of 4,865,298 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 127th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.06% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.65% a year.
Kuwait at a glance
How Kuwait's population is changing
Kuwait's population is shrinking: −0.65% a year, which works out to about −31,860 people per year, or −87 a day. Births (10.0 per 1,000) and deaths (1.5 per 1,000) alone would give +0.85% a year; net migration adds about 42,775 people a year (+0.88%). Roughly one in every 1,689 people on Earth lives in Kuwait.
Population of Kuwait since 1960
In 1960, Kuwait had 311,060 people. By 2025 that was 4,865,298 — 15.6× larger. The population peaked in 2024 at 4,897,263 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 160%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 311,060 | — |
| 1970 | 809,114 | +160.1% |
| 1980 | 1,504,782 | +86.0% |
| 1990 | 1,684,819 | +12.0% |
| 2000 | 1,954,709 | +16.0% |
| 2010 | 2,943,372 | +50.6% |
| 2020 | 4,400,267 | +49.5% |
| 2025 | 4,865,298 | +10.6% |
Kuwait from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Kuwait at about 81,280 people in 1800; the UN estimates 5,026,079 in 2025 (62× 1800) and projects 9,602,012 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 91% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 81,280 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 81,280 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 98,794 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 153,973 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 1,954,713 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 5,026,079 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 6,367,757 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 7,821,656 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 9,602,012 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Kuwait
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 4,865,298. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Aḩmadī | 637,411 | GeoNames settlement | 13.10% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 2 | Ḩawallī | 164,212 | GeoNames settlement | 3.38% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Şabāḩ as Sālim | 139,163 | GeoNames settlement | 2.86% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Al Farwānīyah | 86,525 | GeoNames settlement | 1.78% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Al Faḩāḩīl | 68,290 | GeoNames settlement | 1.40% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Kuwait City | 60,064 | GeoNames settlement | 1.23% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Ar Riqqah | 52,068 | GeoNames settlement | 1.07% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Al Manqaf | 39,025 | GeoNames settlement | 0.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Al Jahrā’ | 24,281 | GeoNames settlement | 0.50% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Al Finţās | 23,071 | GeoNames settlement | 0.47% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Kuwait compares
Kuwait has almost the same population as Costa Rica (5,152,950).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Kuwait | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #125 |  Mauritania | 5,315,065 | +9% | compare → |
| #126 |  Costa Rica | 5,152,950 | +6% | compare → |
| #128 |  Panama | 4,571,189 | −6% | compare → |
| #129 |  Georgia | 3,935,766 | −19% | compare → |
Compare Kuwait with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Kuwait
Land neighbours (2)
Iraq 47,020,774 · 9.7× the population · compare
Saudi Arabia 36,973,555 · 7.6× the population · compare
Kuwait's 2 neighbours together hold 83,994,329 people — 17.3× Kuwait's population. The most populous is Iraq (47,020,774).
In its region
Kuwait is the 19th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 0.6% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Kuwait
Cities
Al Aḩmadī, Ḩawallī, Şabāḩ as Sālim, Al Farwānīyah, Al Faḩāḩīl, Kuwait City, Ar Riqqah, Al Manqaf — all Kuwait's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Kuwait when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.