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Location of Kuwait on the globe

Kuwait

KW

Western Asia

Kuwait is home to 2 documented ethnic groups in Western Asia — led by Non Kuwaiti Foreign (~69%), Kuwaiti Arab (~31%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
Non Kuwaiti ForeignNon Kuwaiti Foreign69.0%Kuwait 2024 estimates; non-Kuwaiti foreign workers and residents (~69%, ~3.2M+); predominantly migrant-worker populations from India (~1M+), Egypt (~660,000+), Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, plus other source populations. The non-citizen population also includes the bidoon (stateless Bedouin) community of approximately 100,000+ who lack citizenship despite multi-generational Kuwaiti residence
Kuwaiti ArabKuwaiti Arab31.0%Public Authority for Civil Information Kuwait 2024 estimates; Kuwaiti citizens (~31%, ~1.5M+ of ~4.7M total). Predominantly Sunni Muslim (~70% of citizens) with substantial Twelver Shia minority (~30%, the Kuwaiti Shia community is concentrated in specific Kuwaiti families and quarters)

Kuwait Phenotype Profile

Kuwait has a distinctive demographic structure — Kuwaiti citizens (~31%) plus the substantial non-Kuwaiti foreign-worker population (~69%) plus the bidoon stateless community. The Kuwaiti citizen population is divided between Sunni majority and Shia minority with documented political-religious tensions. Skin tone Fitzpatrick III-V. Hair predominantly straight to wavy black. Characteristic Gulf Arab features.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Kuwait population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights derived from Public Authority for Civil Information Kuwait 2024 estimates. The bidoon stateless community produces demographic enumeration challenges.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Public Authority for Civil Information Kuwait. Annual Statistical Abstract 2024. Kuwait City: PACI; 2024.
  2. 2.Crystal J. Kuwait: The Transformation of an Oil State. Westview; 1992.
  3. 3.Longva AN. Walls Built on Sand: Migration, Exclusion and Society in Kuwait. Westview; 1997.
  4. 4.Tétreault MA. Stories of Democracy: Politics and Society in Contemporary Kuwait. Columbia University Press; 2000.
  5. 5.Beaugrand C. Stateless in the Gulf: Migration, Nationality and Society in Kuwait. IB Tauris; 2018.

Other countries in Western Asia

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Western Asia nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all Western Asiaethnic groups & countries →