1,687 new applications for subsidized building materials in six months

Statistics issued by the Supply Management Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry indicate a continued demand for the subsidized construction materials system during the first half of 2026. This support represents one of the government tools assisting citizens benefiting from the housing care system, by alleviating part of the costs of building and renovating homes and linking the support provided to citizens with loans granted by the Kuwait Credit Bank.

The statistics revealed that the total number of new requests for issuing subsidized construction materials ("first-time issuance") reached 1,687 requests between January and the end of June 2026. Meanwhile, requests to renew the voucher for issuing subsidized supply materials totaled 182, alongside 99 requests to exchange support materials. This brought the total number of registered requests across the three categories to 1,968 during the first half of the year.

These figures hold economic significance given the role of the construction support system within Kuwait’s housing care policy. Recipients of construction loans are provided with subsidized building materials covering the necessary supplies for construction. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry offers the service of issuing subsidized construction materials to Kuwaitis holding loans, whether for construction, renovation, home purchase, or demolition and reconstruction. Consequently, the movement of issuance requests serves as an indicator of the volume of transactions related to the implementation of housing projects for citizens benefiting from these loans.

According to monthly data, January recorded the highest number of new requests for subsidized construction materials during the first half of the year, with 387 requests. This figure then declined to 325 in February, dropping to its lowest point in the period at 192 requests in March.

Requests rose again in April, recording 301 requests, before reaching 237 in May and 245 in June, bringing the total new requests during the first six months of the year to 1,687.

Regarding requests to renew the voucher for issuing subsidized supply materials, April recorded the highest level during the first half of the year with 52 requests, compared to 23 in January, 21 in February, and 17 in March. The number then rose to 30 in May and 39 in June, bringing the total renewal requests to 182.

In terms of requests to exchange support materials, the total issued during the first half of 2026 amounted to approximately 99 requests. April also led in this category with 26 requests, compared to 12 in January and 17 in February, while March recorded the lowest level with 8 requests. The number then rose to 14 in May and 22 in June.

An analysis of the three request types shows that April recorded the highest overall activity during the first half with 379 requests, distributed as 301 new issuance requests, 52 renewal requests, and 26 exchange requests. However, January came second with a total of 422 requests across the three categories, meaning that January actually led in terms of the total number of requests, not April.

Calculating the total of the three categories monthly, January recorded 422 requests, February 363, March 217, April 379, May 281, and June 306, totaling 1,968 requests during the first half of 2026.