Domestic workers comprise over a quarter of Kuwait’s expat workforce
Philippines and India lead as main sources of domestic workers in Kuwait
Dubai: Domestic workers account for approximately 26.9 per cent of the total expatriate workforce in Kuwait, amounting to around 789,000 individuals as of the first quarter of 2024.
The number represents a 1.1 per cent increase from the previous year, indicating a significant reliance on domestic labour within the country.
The demographic breakdown reveals that there are 423,000 female and 366,000 male domestic workers. The largest group of female domestic workers comes from the Philippines, although their numbers have decreased from 205,000 to 175,000 over the past year. In contrast, Indian males dominate their segment, slightly increasing from 247,000 to 248,000.
India remains the dominant nationality among the domestic workforce, making up 44.7 per cent of all domestic workers, followed by the Philippines, which accounts for 22.5 per cent. Together with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, these four nationalities make up about 93.3 per cent of all domestic workers in Kuwait.
Other nationalities collectively represent a smaller fraction, with Nepal making the most significant contribution at 4.4 per cent, while contributions from Pakistan, Ethiopia, Benin, and Mali are notably lower.
When expanding the scope to include all categories of expatriate workers, Indians are the largest group, with about 889,000 workers, which is 30.3 per cent of the total workforce including Kuwaiti nationals. They are followed by Egyptians and Bangladeshis.