General

There are essentially five levels of Kuwaiti society: the ruling family, the old Kuwaiti merchant families, former Bedouins who settled in Kuwait, Arabs from other countries and foreigners. Arabic is the official language and 90% of the population is Muslim.

In per-capita terms, Kuwait has one of the highest incomes in the world.

Before the Iraqi invasion in August 1990, less than 40% of the population were Kuwaiti and of the work force, less than 20% were Kuwaiti. Non-Kuwaitis enjoyed most of the welfare benefits of Kuwaiti citizens. The vote, on the other hand, was restricted to about 65,000 Kuwaiti males descended from men living in the country before 1920.

It was in 1957 when an official census in Kuwait wan first conducted; prior to that date, estimation was the main source of the proposed figures of the number of inhabitants living in Kuwait. According to the estimates of the Kuwaiti Central Statistics Office (CSO), the population of Kuwait was estimated at 35,000 by 1910, 75,000 before the eruption of World War II and reached 100,000 in the early fifties. In 1995, the population of Kuwait was 1,575,983; however, the CSO estimated the inhabitants of Kuwait at 2.1 million prior the Iraqi invasion in 1990, %26.6 of whom were Kuwaitis. By December 1996, the number of Kuwaitis was 732,403 with an annual growth rate of %3.4, while the number of non-Kuwaitis was estimated at 1,361,486, with an annual growth rate of %8.9

The population of Kuwait has always been so small that the country has had to rely on foreign workers. Prior to the Iraqi invasion in 1990, nationals of virtually every country could be found working in Kuwait.

In retrospect, however, it is now felt by the government that in 1990 the foreign workforce was too large, outnumbering as it did the Kuwaiti nationals themselves. Present plans therefore seek to ensure that, for both cultural and economic reasons, Kuwaitis remain a majority in their own country.

Language

The official language is Arabic though English is widely used especially in business, banking and big shopping centres. Most street signs are written in both languages.

Religion

Islam is the official religion of Kuwait and is practised throughout the country. There are also churches of varying denominations for Christian residents. Islam forbids the consumption of pork or alcohol and these items are illegal in Kuwait.

Clothing

In Kuwait's urban centres, Western-style clothing is becoming popular, particularly with young people. However, many Kuwaitis still wear traditional Arab clothing. Most Kuwaiti men wear a dishdasha, a floor length robe with a centre front opening which is put on over the head. The headdress of the Kuwaiti male consists of three parts. The gutra is a square piece of cloth which is folded into a triangle and then placed centrally on the head so that the ends hang down equally over the shoulders. It is held in place by an ogal, a double circlet of twisted black cord, which is placed firmly over the head. Often a gahfiyah, a close-fitting skull cap, is worn under the gutra to stop it from slipping.