TL; Dr:
- Domestic activists make 25.2% of Kuwait’s migrant labor force as 2025, around 745,000, there is a decrease of 5.6% from the previous year.
Indian The largest group among both domestic and overall migrant workers is 42.2% of domestic labor and 35.3% of all migrant employment.
- Workers from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Bangladesh account for about 90% of the total domestic labor force of Kuwait.
Kuwait’s domestic labor sector is going through a remarkable change as per the new data released by the Alshal Economic Advisors, with domestic workers now formed for more than a quarter of the migrant workforce of the Gulf nation. Recent trends show a decline in overall numbers, showing the country’s labor market again shaped demographic dynamics.
Overview
By the closure of the first quarter of 2025, domestic workers in Kuwait were responsible for 25.2% of all migrant employees, which was a decline of about 745,000 individuals, a decline of 5.6% in 2024 compared to the same period. The workforce had about 415,000 women and 330,000 males, according to data reported by Al-Hasisah Daily.
Nationality
Breaking from nationality suggests that the Philippines continues to lead among the female domestic staff, with around 131,000 Philipinus in the region as Q1 2025. The figure, however, is below 175,000 at the end of the first quarter of last year, indicating a significant decrease. Indian citizens took an edge between male domestic workers, a number of 213,000 below 248,000 during the first quarter of the previous year.Overall, Indian domestic activists (both men and women) form the largest section, creating 42.2% of Kuwait’s domestic labor force. Follow Sri Lanka and the Philippines, representing about 17.9% of this section with each nationality. Collectively, activists from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Bangladesh, four out of four of the total ten nationalities in the domestic field of Kuwait -have sufficient 89.6% of the domestic labor force of the country.Focusing on all migrant workers, the number of Indian employees in Alarshal’s report is around 884,000. Indians thus represent 29.9% of the entire labor force of the nation, including citizens and 35.3% of the total migrant workforce, both maintain their lead in categories. The Egypt ranks second with an estimated 472,000 workers, in line with 16% and 18.8% migrant employees of the total labor pool. Kuwaiti’s citizens attributed themselves to about 450,000 workforce at the end of the quarter, slightly below 458,000, a part of the labor force, representing 15.2% of the labor force, a part that military staff was included.There seems to be some incompatibility about Kuwait’s workforce data, with Kuwait’s Central Statistical Bureau, citing a total of 491,000 in the end of June. The report stated that this difference may arise from incorporating military or unemployed individuals in high estimates.Bangladesh is listed fourth, which contributes about 278,000 laborers, 9.4%of the full workforce. The Philippines have ranked fifth, with its workers about 194,000 in Kuwait, making 6.6% of all workers and 7.7% migrant employees.
Outlook
Kuwait’s domestic labor scenario is clearly in flow, indicating widespread trends in the migrant-dependent economy of the Gulf with a change in the composition and nationality balance of the workforce. While Indians dominate both domestic and comprehensive employment scenes, the decrease in the workforce number, especially among women workers from the Philippines, change the recruitment patterns and labor dynamics in the entire region. The ongoing discrepancies in official employment data also suggest the need for greater clarity and transparency in labor reporting as Kuwait adjusts new demographic realities.
