229,700 buildings in Kuwait in the first half of 2026
- 52,400 buildings in Ahmadi, accounting for 23 percent
- 5,310 apartment buildings in Hawalli Governorate
- 37 hotels in the Capital Governorate
The country’s urban map continued to expand during the first half of 2026, with the total number of buildings rising to 229,748, distributed across Kuwait’s six governorates.
Data from the Public Authority for Civil Information indicates that residential buildings remain the backbone of the real estate sector, numbering 146,800, which represents approximately 64 percent of the total buildings. This is compared to 13,700 buildings designated for commercial use, 41,400 mixed-use buildings combining residential and commercial purposes, 17,500 vacant buildings, and 10,200 buildings allocated for other uses.
Ahmadi Governorate led all governorates in terms of the number of buildings, with a total of 52,400, accounting for about 23 percent of the country’s total buildings. It was followed by Al Jahra with 46,900 buildings, then Al Farwaniyah with 35,900, Hawalli with 34,300, the Capital Governorate with 33,600, and finally Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate in sixth place with a total of 26,300 buildings.
Regarding building types, statistics showed the continued dominance of private houses in the urban fabric, numbering 174,500, compared to 13,200 apartment buildings, 37,300 buildings of other traditional uses, 3,874 temporary structures, 794 buildings under construction, and 18 buildings with undefined classifications.
Ahmadi Governorate topped the list in terms of the number of villas, with a total of 34,800, followed by Al Farwaniyah with 27,000, then Hawalli with 26,100, the Capital Governorate with 24,700, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer with 23,000, while Al Jahra recorded 22,100 villas.
Conversely, the Capital Governorate led in the number of palaces, with 29, followed by Hawalli with 27, then Mubarak Al-Kabeer with 10, and Ahmadi with three. Al Jahra and Al Farwaniyah each recorded one palace.
Residential apartment buildings were primarily concentrated in Hawalli Governorate, which includes 5,310 apartment buildings, followed by Ahmadi with 3,164, then Al Farwaniyah with 2,669. The number reached 719 in the Capital Governorate, 502 in Mubarak Al-Kabeer, and 218 in Al Jahra.
In the hotel sector, the Capital Governorate held the largest number of hotels, with 37, followed by Hawalli with 36, then Ahmadi with 20. Al Farwaniyah includes four hotels, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer has three, while no registered hotels exist in Al Jahra Governorate.
