Kuwait sees 11,700 new residency violations in 2025, but total violators decline

Kuwait registered 11,700 new residency violations in 2025, marking a 1,000-case increase from the prior year, according to recent immigration statistics from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).

Despite the rise in new offenses, the cumulative number of residency violators saw a continued decline, falling to 80,800 from 81,500 in 2024. This suggests ongoing efforts by authorities to resolve the status of existing violators while also detecting new infractions.

Concurrently, Kuwait's expatriate population expanded, with the total number of valid residency permits reaching approximately 3.166 million by the end of 2025. This represents a significant increase of 142,000 permits compared to 2024, an annual growth rate of 4.7 percent.

The data also indicated a decrease in cancelled residency permits, with 47,200 cancelled in 2025, down from 49,700 the previous year. This downward trend follows a larger total of 57,100 cancellations in 2023.

Private-sector work permits under Article 18 remain the dominant residency category, accounting for 52.6 percent of all valid permits. Domestic worker permits (Article 20) and family reunification permits (Article 22) follow, representing 24.4 percent and 17.9 percent, respectively. Non-Arab Asian nationals continue to form the largest segment of Kuwait's expatriate population.