KUwait, Oct 22: Despite comprehensive government support in areas such as education, employment and marriage, almost half of the country’s citizens remain unmarried. According to new official statistics, out of a population of just over 1.065 million Kuwaiti citizens, there are 409,201 single people – 215,000 men and 194,000 women. These numbers highlight the social challenges that discourage many people from getting married.
The data also revealed an unexpected trend in early marriage. More than 2,000 Kuwaitis were married between the ages of 15 and 19, with the vast majority being young women. Of these early marriages, 1,984 were women and only 104 were men.
In turn, the growing number of divorces raises concerns about the stability of marriage in Kuwait. The Ministry of Justice reported 38,786 divorces among Kuwaitis, with the highest rate among those aged 35 to 39. Worryingly, 800 couples separated within the first year of marriage.
The statistics further shed light on the gender imbalance among widows and widowers in Kuwait. Of the 35,319 widowed citizens, 30,739 were women, approximately six times the number of men who lost a spouse.
