Rank #103 by World Population

🇰🇼Kuwait

Kuwait has a population of 4,853,420, ranking #103 in the world. The capital is Kuwait City. Located in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.

World Bank: High income

4,853,420

Population

#103

World Rank

83.2

Life Expectancy

$34,076

GDP Per Capita

Kuwait, #103 by world population

Kuwait Population History (1960-2024)

The country of Kuwait had a population of 311,060 in 1960 and 4,897,263 in 2024, a 16× growth over 64 years. The peak was 4,897,263 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 4.58%.

Kuwait population, 1960–2024 · Source: U.S. Census Bureau — decennial census & Population Estimates

4,897,263

Population (2024)

311,060

Population (1960)

4,897,263

Peak (2024)

4.58%

Avg Annual Growth

Year	Population	Change	Annual %	Source
1960	311,060	-	-	estimate
1961	345,945	+34,885	+11.21%	estimate
1962	384,995	+39,050	+11.29%	estimate
1963	427,694	+42,699	+11.09%	estimate
1964	473,115	+45,421	+10.62%	estimate
1965	521,174	+48,059	+10.16%	estimate
1966	572,590	+51,416	+9.87%	estimate
1967	628,089	+55,499	+9.69%	estimate
1968	687,716	+59,627	+9.49%	estimate
1969	749,452	+61,736	+8.98%	estimate
1970	809,114	+59,662	+7.96%	estimate
1971	865,076	+55,962	+6.92%	estimate
1972	920,352	+55,276	+6.39%	estimate
1973	977,654	+57,302	+6.23%	estimate
1974	1,038,346	+60,692	+6.21%	estimate
1975	1,104,863	+66,517	+6.41%	estimate
1976	1,178,711	+73,848	+6.68%	estimate
1977	1,258,023	+79,312	+6.73%	estimate
1978	1,340,319	+82,296	+6.54%	estimate
1979	1,423,514	+83,195	+6.21%	estimate
1980	1,504,782	+81,268	+5.71%	estimate
1981	1,583,426	+78,644	+5.23%	estimate
1982	1,662,480	+79,054	+4.99%	estimate
1983	1,744,295	+81,815	+4.92%	estimate
1984	1,820,688	+76,393	+4.38%	estimate
1985	1,894,242	+73,554	+4.04%	estimate
1986	1,972,520	+78,278	+4.13%	estimate
1987	2,052,994	+80,474	+4.08%	estimate
1988	2,134,707	+81,713	+3.98%	estimate
1989	2,217,468	+82,761	+3.88%	estimate
1990	1,684,819	-532,649	-24.02%	estimate
1991	1,351,399	-333,420	-19.79%	estimate
1992	1,634,961	+283,562	+20.98%	estimate
1993	1,672,151	+37,190	+2.27%	estimate
1994	1,664,361	-7,790	-0.47%	estimate
1995	1,681,513	+17,152	+1.03%	estimate
1996	1,730,246	+48,733	+2.90%	estimate
1997	1,787,683	+57,437	+3.32%	estimate
1998	1,844,302	+56,619	+3.17%	estimate
1999	1,900,030	+55,728	+3.02%	estimate
2000	1,954,709	+54,679	+2.88%	estimate
2001	2,008,121	+53,412	+2.73%	estimate
2002	2,059,974	+51,853	+2.58%	estimate
2003	2,109,881	+49,907	+2.42%	estimate
2004	2,157,320	+47,439	+2.25%	estimate
2005	2,236,788	+79,468	+3.68%	estimate
2006	2,364,733	+127,945	+5.72%	estimate
2007	2,507,887	+143,154	+6.05%	estimate
2008	2,651,421	+143,534	+5.72%	estimate
2009	2,795,484	+144,063	+5.43%	estimate
2010	2,943,372	+147,888	+5.29%	estimate
2011	3,132,814	+189,442	+6.44%	estimate
2012	3,337,109	+204,295	+6.52%	estimate
2013	3,507,844	+170,735	+5.12%	estimate
2014	3,665,876	+158,032	+4.51%	estimate
2015	3,834,574	+168,698	+4.60%	estimate
2016	4,004,096	+169,522	+4.42%	estimate
2017	4,154,812	+150,716	+3.76%	estimate
2018	4,323,515	+168,703	+4.06%	estimate
2019	4,442,316	+118,801	+2.75%	estimate
2020	4,400,267	-42,049	-0.95%	estimate
2021	4,360,865	-39,402	-0.90%	estimate
2022	4,589,643	+228,778	+5.25%	estimate
2023	4,853,420	+263,777	+5.75%	estimate
2024	4,897,263	+43,843	+0.90%	estimate

Demographics

Population	4,853,420
Population Growth Rate	5.59%
Urban Population	100.0%
Fertility Rate	1.52 births/woman
Life Expectancy	83.2 years
Infant Mortality Rate	7.2 per 1,000
Literacy Rate	96.5%

Economy & Trade

$34,076

GDP Per Capita

2.1%

Unemployment Rate

High income

Income Level

96.1%

Trade (% of GDP)

2,161,000

Tourism Arrivals

Health & Education

5.0%

Health Expenditure (% GDP)

5.0%

Education Expenditure (% GDP)

96.5%

Literacy Rate

7.2

Infant Mortality (per 1,000)

Development & Connectivity

100.0%

Electricity Access

99.7%

Internet Users

159

Mobile Subs per 100

272.4

People per km2

50,008

Net Migration

Environment

0.4%

Forest Area

Other Countries in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Djibouti Egypt, Arab Rep.

Compare Kuwait

vs Afghanistan vs Algeria vs Bahrain vs Djibouti

Kuwait in global context

Kuwait is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.

World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →

Other related entities

Afghanistan (41,454,761)Algeria (46,164,219)Bahrain (1,577,059)Djibouti (1,152,944)Egypt, Arab Rep. (114,535,772)All countries →

Country rankings

Populated Countries in the World Countries With Highest GDP Per Capita Countries With Highest Life Expectancy Countries With Highest Fertility Rates Countries With Highest Literacy Rates Urbanized Countries in the World Fastest Growing Countries by Population Countries With Highest Infant Mortality Countries With Highest Income Inequality Countries With Most International Tourism All rankings →

Frequently Asked Questions

Kuwait has a population of 4,853,420, ranking #103 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 5.59%.

Life expectancy in Kuwait is 83.2 years. The infant mortality rate is 7.2 per 1,000 live births.

Kuwait's GDP per capita is $34,076. It is classified as a high income country by the World Bank.

100.0% of Kuwait's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 272.4 people per square kilometer.

The adult literacy rate in Kuwait is 96.5%. The country spends 5.0% of GDP on education.

Sources: World Bank Open Data

International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.

With 4,853,420 residents, Kuwait is a country in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Its population is growing quickly, by about 5.6% a year.

Economically, Kuwait is high-income — GDP per capita is roughly $34,076. Life expectancy is high at 83.2 years, with a fertility rate of 1.5 births per woman, and 100.0% of the population lives in urban areas.

Source: World Bank Open Data, 2026.