Islam in Kuwait

Mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Islam is the main religion of the citizens of Kuwait and the majority of Kuwait's citizen population is Muslim; there are no official figures, but it is estimated that 60-70% are Sunni and 30-40% are Shias.[1]

Dome of Al Othman Mosque in Hawalli

In 2001, there were 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens, 300,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens and 820,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total thus Sunnis formed 64% and Shias formed 36.5% of the Kuwaiti citizen population.[2] In 2002, the US Department of State reported that Shia Kuwaitis formed 30%-40% of Kuwait's citizen population,[3] noting there were 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens and 855,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total (61% Sunnis, 39% Shias).[3] In 2004, there were 600,000 Sunni Kuwaitis citizens, 300,000-350,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens and 913,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total.[4] In 2008, the Strategic Studies Institute reported that 40% of Kuwaiti citizens were Shias.[1]

The population of Kuwait is ethnically diverse, due to migration and large expatriate communities. Kuwaitis represent 45% of the total population.[5] There are several groups of natives in Kuwait; the largest native groups are Arabs and Persians.[6][7]

The large expatriate community accounts for between half and two-thirds of the population, with Kuwait government figures stating the higher proportion.[5][8] It is composed of Arabs from other countries, Iranians, Pakistanis and Indians.[5]

See also

References