66,738 Kuwaiti nationals and residents employed in the private sector

Data released by the Public Authority for Civil Information revealed that the workforce in Kuwait’s private sector is distributed across a wide range of nationalities. The Indian community topped the list of the largest nationalities contributing to the private labor market, followed by Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Syrian, and Pakistani workers.

The figures also indicate that Kuwaiti nationals occupy a position among the top ten largest segments by number of employees in the private sector, totaling 66,738 Kuwaiti men and women. This highlights Kuwaiti participation alongside expatriate labor in the private job market.

Over the years, Kuwait’s private sector has demonstrated its ability to attract labor and talent from various countries worldwide, benefiting from the diverse experiences and skills required by multiple economic activities. The sector comprises human resources from diverse nationalities, cultures, and professional backgrounds, combining technical, administrative, technological, and craft expertise to support the needs of companies and institutions across different sectors.

This diversity reflects the nature of the Kuwaiti economy and the openness of the labor market to international expertise. Companies recruit talent based on job requirements and specializations, alongside labor participating in executing works and services at various levels. Furthermore, the private sector represents an attractive environment for job seekers from many countries, offering multiple career paths and opportunities for development and skill acquisition.

This diverse composition enriches the work environment and facilitates the exchange of expertise and knowledge among employees, enhancing companies’ ability to leverage specialized skills and providing the private labor market with greater flexibility to meet its changing needs.

This overview provides a clear picture of the human composition of Kuwait’s private sector, showcasing the extent of diversity in the labor market with participation from more than one nationality across various activities and jobs. This makes the private sector one of the most diverse in terms of workforce composition. The list of workers is as follows:

**India: Over half a million workers**

Indian labor topped the list of nationalities working in the private sector, with the number of Indian nationals reaching approximately 568,226 men and women, accounting for 30.7% of the total workforce in the sector. The data shows that Indian labor represents the largest segment among private sector employees, with a clear margin over other nationalities, maintaining India’s position as the largest component of Kuwait’s private labor market.

**Egypt: Second place**

Egyptian labor ranked second, with the number of Egyptian nationals reaching approximately 437,069 people, accounting for 23.6% of the total workforce in the private sector. Together, Indian and Egyptian labor account for more than half of the total registered workforce in the private sector, reflecting the significant presence of both communities in the Kuwaiti labor market and the diversity of jobs held by their members in various companies, institutions, and economic activities.

**Bangladesh: Over 200,000 workers**

Bangladeshi labor ranked third, recording approximately 206,946 people, with a share of 11.2% of the total workforce in the private sector. The data shows that Bangladeshi labor constitutes one of the major human blocks in the private labor market, coming after India and Egypt with a clear margin, yet remaining among the key nationalities upon which the private sector relies to meet its labor needs.

**Nepal: Over 115,000**

Nepalese labor ranked fourth, with the number of Nepalese nationals reaching approximately 115,384 people, representing 6.2% of the total workforce in the private sector. This percentage confirms the notable presence of Nepalese labor within the market’s composition, ranking fourth with a clear margin over subsequent positions.

**Syrians in Fifth Place**

Syrian labor ranked fifth, with a total of approximately 71,228 people, accounting for 3.9% of the total workforce in the private sector. The data indicates that the Syrian community represents one of the important segments in the private labor market, with workers participating in a variety of activities and jobs within the sector.

**Pakistan: Approximately 69,000 workers**

Pakistani labor ranked sixth, with the number of Pakistani nationals reaching approximately 68,596 people, representing 3.7% of the total workforce in the private sector. Pakistani labor thus ranks among the largest nationalities working in the sector, following Syrian labor and preceding Kuwaiti labor.

**Kuwaitis in Seventh Place**

Kuwaiti labor ranked seventh in this distribution, with the number of Kuwaiti men and women working in the private sector reaching approximately 66,738, accounting for 3.6% of the total workforce in the sector. These figures highlight the extent of Kuwaiti participation in the private sector, which represents one of the main pathways for nationals to work outside the government sector, given the diversity of companies, activities, and jobs provided by the labor market.

**Philippines: Over 60,000**

Filipino labor ranked eighth, with a total of approximately 60,596 Filipino men and women, accounting for 3.3% of the total workforce in the private sector. This share confirms that Filipino labor represents a prominent component of the labor market, ranking among the top eight nationalities by number of workers in the private sector.

**Jordanians in Ninth Place**

Jordanian labor ranked ninth, with the number of Jordanian nationals reaching approximately 27,803 Jordanian men and women, accounting for 1.5% of the total workforce in the private sector. These figures reflect the continued Jordanian presence within the private labor market’s composition, despite the numerical gap compared to the nationalities topping the list.

**195,949 workers from other nationalities**

The data showed that the remaining nationalities combined formed an important segment of the workforce in the private sector, with the number of workers in this group reaching approximately 195,949 men and women, accounting for 10.6% of the total workforce.

This percentage also reveals that Kuwait’s private labor market does not rely solely on a limited group of nationalities but includes a broad and diverse composition of workers from various countries around the world.