78% of Kuwaiti administrators and staff are concentrated in a single activity
Figures and Trends:
- 113,000 in Wholesale and Retail Trade and Motor Vehicle Repair
- 10,900 in Financial Intermediation
- 4,800 in Construction
- 4,500 in Manufacturing
- 1,600 in Hotels and Restaurants
- 1,400 in Education
- 1,300 in Health and Social Work
- 80.1% in the Public Sector
- 13.5% in the Private Sector
- 6.4% Unemployed
- 1,625 Kuwaiti Dinars: Average Monthly Salary for Kuwaitis in the Public Sector
- 1,432 Kuwaiti Dinars: Average Monthly Salary in the Private Sector
The map of the Kuwaiti labor force by administrative activity and ownership reveals a striking concentration of Kuwaiti nationals in a single economic sector, despite the market being distributed across 17 different sectors. The "Public Administration and Defense; Compulsory Social Security" sector accounts for approximately 386,500 Kuwaitis, representing 78% of the total Kuwaiti workforce of roughly 495,700. The remaining percentage is distributed among 16 other activities.
Data from the Public Authority for Civil Information, as of the end of the first half of this year, shows a clear accumulation of administrative labor and Kuwaiti ownership in this activity, reaching a majority level. The labor force includes 16 other activities, comprising Trade, Hotels and Restaurants, Transport and Communications, Financial Intermediation, Real Estate and Business Services, Education, Health and Social Work, as well as Social and Personal Services, Private Households, International and Regional Organizations, Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry, Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity, Gas and Water Supply, and Construction.
The Real Estate, Rental, and Business Services activities rank second with approximately 33,500 Kuwaitis, accounting for 6.8% of the national workforce (administrative and ownership). Wholesale and Retail Trade and Motor Vehicle Repair follow with approximately 11,300, constituting 2.3%, while Financial Intermediation accounts for approximately 10,900, or 2.2%. Numbers decline further in other activities: Construction employs approximately 4,800 Kuwaitis, Manufacturing approximately 4,500, Hotels and Restaurants approximately 1,600, Education approximately 1,400, and Health and Social Work approximately 1,300.
At the occupational level, Kuwaiti labor is also concentrated in a group of technical, support, office, and service jobs. Technicians and associate professionals in other categories lead the list, followed by office clerks, workers in personal and protective services, education specialists, and specialists in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering, as well as enterprise managers.
The data shows that occupational concentration is not limited to the level of economic activity but extends to the employment structure itself. Approximately 397,200 Kuwaitis work in the public sector, representing 80.1% of the national workforce, compared to 66,700 in the private sector, equivalent to 13.5%. The number of unemployed stands at approximately 31,800, accounting for 6.4%.
This distribution reflects the continued attractiveness of the public sector to national labor, given the job security and benefits it offers. The average monthly salary for Kuwaitis in the government is approximately 1,625 dinars, compared to 1,432 dinars in the private sector.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Kuwait’s per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will rise from approximately $54,300 in 2026 to nearly $60,000 by 2030, a trajectory that keeps Kuwait among Gulf economies with high per capita output levels.
Kuwait’s per capita GDP reached approximately $54,300 in 2026, ranking it fourth in the Gulf region, after Qatar at approximately $112,310, the United Arab Emirates at $87,770, and Saudi Arabia at $78,810. The indicator stood at approximately $70,160 in Bahrain and $45,700 in the Sultanate of Oman.
