Religion in Kuwait
Islam is the official religion in Kuwait, and the majority of the citizen population is Muslim.[2]
There are also small native
Islam
Kuwait's official state religion is
Over one million non-citizen Muslims resided in Kuwait in 2019.[1]
Population estimates
There is no official national census disclosing sectarian affiliation. The population estimates have varied over time. In 2001, there were an estimated 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens and 300,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens.
Christianity
Christianity is a minority religion in Kuwait. In 2020, there were an estimated 289 Christian Kuwaitis residing in Kuwait.
The government-recognized Christian churches include the
Baháʼí
The official 2013 census only shows three religion categories: "Muslim", "Christian" and "Other", with only 18 people in the other category.[3] There are a small number of Kuwaiti citizens who follow the Baháʼí Faith, with other sources state that there are approximately 400 Baháʼís in total in Kuwait in 2022.[2]
Judaism
There were several Kuwaiti Jewish families before the 1950s, however all local Jewish families left Kuwait by the 1980s.[4]
Hinduism
There are estimated 300,000 non-citizen Hindus in Kuwait.[citation needed]
Buddhism
Approximately 85,000 non-citizen Buddhists reside in Kuwait.[citation needed]
Sikhism
There are estimated 10,000 non-citizen Sikhs in Kuwait.[4]
Religion by Nationality (2020)
Nationality | Islam | % | Christian | % | Other | % | Total | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kuwaiti | 1,459,656 | 99.97% | 290 | 0.01% | 25 | 0.00% | 1,459,970 | 31.25% |
Arabian | 1,188,738 | 93.97% | 69,574 | 5.48% | 9,108 | 0.71% | 1,267,420 | 27.13% |
Asian | 798,297 | 42.98% | 728,000 | 39.19% | 330,928 | 17.81% | 1,857,224 | 39.76% |
African | 16,250 | 35.05% | 22,874 | 49.34% | 7,227 | 15.59% | 46,350 | 0.99% |
European | 6,640 | 39.66% | 9,043 | 54.04% | 1,050 | 6.29% | 16,733 | 0.35% |
American & Australian | 13,722 | 59.62% | 8,095 | 35.17% | 1,198 | 5.20% | 23,015 | 0.49% |
Kuwait | 3,483,300 | 74.57% | 837,874 | 17.93% | 349,539 | 7.48% | 4,670,713 | 100% |
Conflicts
Sectarian affiliation has been a source of civil conflict in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti Constitution guarantees freedom of belief and the right to practice any religion so long as it does not interfere with customs. Law No. 19 of 2012 criminalizes the instigation of violence based on the supremacy of one sectarian faction, promoting the supremacy of any faction, or promoting hatred or contempt of any party.[11]
In April 2022, a Kuwaiti citizen was convicted of atheism and sentenced to two months in prison and a fine of KD10,000 ($33,000) after posting comments on social media.[12]
In 2023, Kuwait was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom;[13] blasphemy is a punishable offence and non-Muslims are forbidden from proselytizing, although they can worship privately.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "PACI Statistics". Kuwait Public Authority for Civil Information. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ US State Department. 2022.
- ^ a b c "Nationality By Religion and Nationality". Government of Kuwait (in Arabic).
- ^ US State Department. 2007.
- US State Department. 2001.
- US State Department. 2002.
- US State Department. 2004.
- ^ "The Evolution of U. S.-Turkish Relations in a Transatlantic Context" (PDF). Strategic Studies Institute. p. 87. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2015.
Shiites comprise 60 percent of the population in Bahrain, 40 percent in Kuwait, 14 percent in Saudi Arabia, and 35 percent in Lebanon.
- ^ World Religions Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. 11: 16. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Report on International Freedom: Kuwait". 2021.
- ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08