Nearly half of Kuwait’s citizens remain unmarried despite government support

Dubai: Despite comprehensive government support from birth through education, employment, and marriage, nearly half of Kuwait’s citizens remain unmarried.

According to new official statistics, 409,201 Kuwaitis—215,000 males and 194,000 females—are single in a population of just over 1.065 million citizens. These numbers reflect societal challenges that discourage many from tying the knot.

The data also revealed an unexpected trend: more than 2,000 Kuwaitis were married between the ages of 15 and 19, with the vast majority of these early marriages involving young women. Of the total, 1,984 were female, while only 104 were male.

In contrast, rising divorce rates are raising concerns about the stability of marriages in Kuwait. The Ministry of Justice reported 38,786 divorces among Kuwaitis, with the highest rates occurring between the ages of 35 and 39. Strikingly, 800 couples separated within the first year of marriage.

The statistics also shed light on the gender imbalance among widows and widowers in Kuwait. Of the 35,319 widowed citizens, 30,739 are women—roughly six times the number of men who have lost their spouses.