Where Kuwaitis move
167.9K Kuwaitis live abroad — #137 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Kuwait? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 61% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 63192 |
| Palestine | 19583 |
| Canada | 18999 |
| Türkiye | 15838 |
| Libya | 12185 |
| Australia | 8304 |
| India | 7034 |
| Qatar | 6941 |
| Bahrain | 6371 |
| Sri Lanka | 1772 |
| Denmark | 1516 |
| Algeria | 1215 |
| Egypt | 1064 |
| Italy | 747 |
| Norway | 546 |
| Hungary | 448 |
| Iraq | 409 |
| Bulgaria | 312 |
| Malta | 295 |
| Greece | 279 |
| Finland | 259 |
| Cyprus | 243 |
| Slovakia | 99 |
| Venezuela | 63 |
| Luxembourg | 54 |
| Mauritania | 35 |
| Slovenia | 14 |
| Estonia | 12 |
| Bolivia | 6 |
| Iceland | 5 |
| Latvia | 5 |
| Lithuania | 5 |
| Liechtenstein | 0 |
By destination region
Middle East is the leading destination region at 67%
112.6K
19K
14.5K
8.8K
8.3K
4.6K
69
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Kuwait.
United Arab Emirates is the primary destination for emigrants
United Arab Emirates attracts 38% of all emigrants from Kuwait, while the second-largest destination receives just 12%.
Emigration has become more concentrated over time
The top destination's share rose from 26% to 38%, with United Arab Emirates increasingly the primary choice.
The share of emigrants going to Asia has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 22.8% to 5.2% since 1990.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
3 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Malta — Sri Lanka rose from outside the top 20 to rank #10.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 64245 |
| 1995 | 70228 |
| 2000 | 79931 |
| 2005 | 87761 |
| 2010 | 117370 |
| 2015 | 134398 |
| 2020 | 149927 |
| 2024 | 167850 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | United Arab Emirates | Palestine | Canada | Türkiye | Libya |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13052 | 16702 | 2145 | 286 | 6005 |
| 1995 | 16639 | 16322 | 4274 | 286 | 6919 |
| 2000 | 21036 | 15942 | 8111 | 286 | 7947 |
| 2005 | 25836 | 15902 | 10338 | 658 | 8759 |
| 2010 | 42191 | 17624 | 12987 | 1054 | 9613 |
| 2015 | 53137 | 18541 | 15773 | 1450 | 10763 |
| 2020 | 55654 | 19605 | 17395 | 9361 | 11527 |
| 2024 | 63192 | 19583 | 18999 | 15838 | 12185 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Kuwait as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Kuwait